Strictest designation after Hemingway enters the canon? (8)
I believe the answer is:
sternest
'strictest' is the definition.
('stern' can be a synonym of 'strict')
'designation after hemingway enters the canon?' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'hemingway' could be 'ernest' (author Ernest Hemingway) and 'ernest' is present in the answer.
'the' could be 't' (the is pronounced as a 't' sound in some dialects) and 't' is located in the answer.
A single letter 's' remains which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for sternest that I've seen before include "Most severe and unrelenting" , "Most strict and demanding" , "Most unfriendly" , "Most serious and unrelenting" , "Strictest or grimmest" .)