Crossword Genius

Copper, say, left after team played (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

metal

'copper say' is the definition.
(I know that Cu is a type of metal)

'left after team played' is the wordplay.
'left' becomes 'l' (common abbreviation).
'after' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'played' indicates anagramming the letters (letters playing around).
'team' anagrammed gives 'meta'.
'l' after 'meta' is 'METAL'.

(Other definitions for metal that I've seen before include "Broken stones" , "Eg, iron, lead" , "Lead, for example" , "Conducting solid" , "Gold or silver in heraldry" .)

I've seen this clue in The Mirror.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app