Crossword Genius

A lovely head showing wisdom (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

acuteness

'wisdom' is the definition.
(acute can mean shrewd or wise)

'a lovely head' is the wordplay.
'lovely' becomes 'cute' (both can mean attractive or adorable).
'head' becomes 'ness' (ness is a headland).
'a'+'cute'+'ness'='ACUTENESS'

'showing' is the link.

(Other definitions for acuteness that I've seen before include "Use secant with sharp perceptiveness" , "gravity" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app