Crossword Genius

Writer finds new lens is broke (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

penniless

'broke' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'writer finds new lens is' is the wordplay.
'writer' becomes 'pen' (something which writes).
'finds' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'new' is an anagram indicator.
'lens'+'is'='lensis'
'lensis' with letters rearranged gives 'niless'.
'pen'+'niless'='PENNILESS'

(Other definitions for penniless that I've seen before include "Skint, without a cent" , "Poverty-stricken" , "Without money, not a cent" , "Broke" , "Cleaned out" .)

I've seen this clue in The Mirror.
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.