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17 down: Support for Idiots (6)

I have a?s?s? and am sure that the answer is assist, but I don't fully see it. Clearly, assist is support. Also ass is an idiot and t(ee) is a support, but I can't quite link them altogether. Would be grateful of any help. Thanking you in advance. Roger

That one bothered me too. The best that I could do was have "assist" as describing an idiot, as in ageist, sexist etc. Bit weak though, as were quite a few other clues (in my opinion).

I believe that the clue may have a question mark at the end. Chambers shows the suffix '-ist' as indicating advocacy, so an ASS-IST could (fancifully, as the question mark suggests) describe someone or something which is 'for [ie in favour of] idiots', just as a 'royalist group' would favour the royals . The conventional definition is 'Support'.

That doesn't mean that I like the clue, 'cos I don't.