Spooner's interpretation of penalty regulations in hopeless case (4,5)
I believe the answer is:
lost cause
'hopeless case' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
I don't understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for lost cause that I've seen before include "Hopeless campaign" , "Hopeless quest" , "Hopeless effort or undertaking, beyond rescue" , "I'm at home in Oxford" , "Hopeless case" .)