Crossword Genius

Work of satirist failing to secure new agents (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

dunciad

'work of satirist' is the definition.
(satirical poem by Alexander Pope)

'failing to secure new agents' is the wordplay.
'failing' becomes 'dud' (dud can mean faulty or failing).
'to secure' is an insertion indicator (inserted letters are secured inside).
'new' becomes 'n' (common abbreviation eg NT for New Testament).
'agents' becomes 'CIA' (Central Intelligence Agency).
'n'+'cia'='ncia'
'dud' going around 'ncia' is 'DUNCIAD'.

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.