Crossword Genius

Vegetable hiding under empty shop (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

sprout

'vegetable' is the definition.
(sprout is a type of vegetable)

'hiding under empty shop' is the wordplay.
'hiding' becomes 'rout' (I've seen this in other clues).
'under' says to put letters next to each other (below, in a down clue).
'empty' suggests removing the centre.
'shop' with its middle taken out is 'sp'.
'rout' after 'sp' is 'SPROUT'.

(Other definitions for sprout that I've seen before include "Small cabbage from Brussels?" , "Develop new growth" , "Start to grow" , "Produce buds" , "Germinate" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.
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