Crossword Genius

There's nothing up in the ceiling (3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

nil

'there's nothing' is the definition.
(nil means a score of zero in football)

'up in the ceiling' is the wordplay.
'up' is a reversal indicator (in down clue: letters go upwards).
'in' says the answer is hidden in the clue.
'lin' is hidden in the letters of 'ceiling'.
'lin' back-to-front is 'NIL'.

(Other definitions for nil that I've seen before include "Zero, no score" , "Zero, zilch" , "Latin zero" , "Nothing, zilch" , "Love" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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.