Crossword Genius

A woman's old heart-throb, perhaps (4)

Ross

I think it could be either:

beat

hero

'throb perhaps' is the definition.
(I know that pounding is a type of beat)

'a woman's old heart' is the wordplay.
'a woman' becomes 'bea' ().
'old' becomes 'dated' (dated can mean old or out of date).
'heart' says to take the centre.
The centre of 'dated' is 't'.
'bea'+'t'='BEAT'

(Other definitions for beat that I've seen before include "Pound - defeat" , "Come out better than in a competition" , "buffet" , "Defeat, strike" , "cane" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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.