Crossword Genius

Student wearing Australian mate's gear (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

clobber

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

'student wearing australian mate's' is the wordplay.
'student' becomes 'l' (as in L-plates for learner drivers).
'wearing' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'australian mate' becomes 'cobber' (AUS slang for a friend).
'l' placed inside 'cobber' is 'CLOBBER'.

(Other definitions for clobber that I've seen before include "Lick" , "Tackle" , "stuff" , "Repeatedly hit" , "Hit; gear (sl.)" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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