Crossword Genius

Impecunious writer on river vessel (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

penniless

'impecunious' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'writer on river vessel' is the wordplay.
'writer' becomes 'pen' (something which writes).
'on' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'river' becomes 'nile' (Nile is an example).
'vessel' becomes 'SS' (prefix in ship names eg SS Great Britain).
'pen'+'nile'+'ss'='PENNILESS'

(Other definitions for penniless that I've seen before include "Without money, not a cent" , "Poverty-stricken" , "Skint, without a cent" , "Not rich" , "Jack in New York" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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