Crossword Genius

One doomed to find nothing beside material (4,4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

lame duck

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'one doomed to' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.

'nothing beside material' is the wordplay.
'nothing' becomes 'duck' (duck means zero in cricket).
'beside' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other) (I've seen this in other clues).
'material' becomes 'lame' (lame is a kind of material).
'duck' put after 'lame' is 'LAME DUCK'.

'find' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for lame duck that I've seen before include "Useless person or thing" , "Person (or bird?) incapacitated by injury etc" , "Person losing power towards the end of a term of office" , "Someone no longer able to perform effectively" , "Ineffectual type" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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.