Crossword Genius

Roasted meat sampled without starter (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

lambasted

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

'meat sampled without starter' is the wordplay.
'meat' becomes 'lamb' (lamb is a kind of meat).
'sampled' becomes 'tasted' ('taste' can be a synonym of 'sample').
'without starter' means to remove the first letter.
'tasted' with its initial letter taken off is 'asted'.
'lamb'+'asted'='LAMBASTED'

(Other definitions for lambasted that I've seen before include "Belts Adam (anag)" , "Thrashed" , "Tore strips off" , "Roasted" , "Made blast (anag) - reprimanded" .)

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