Crossword Genius

Hole used to be hard? Rubbish! (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

eyewash

'rubbish' is the definition.
(both can mean nonsense)

'hole used to be hard?' is the wordplay.
'hole' becomes 'eye' (eye is a kind of hole).
'used to be' becomes 'was' (eg 'he was...' means 'he used to be...').
'hard?' becomes 'h' (abbreviation used in pencil classifications).
'eye'+'was'+'h'='EYEWASH'

(Other definitions for eyewash that I've seen before include "Balderdash" , "Visual cleansing agent - nonsense" , "Bunk" , "Pupils may benefit from this" , "Nonsense; cleansing lotion" .)

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.