Crossword Genius

Alert old retainer saving bishop (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

observant

'alert' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'old retainer saving bishop' is the wordplay.
'old' becomes 'o' (common abbreviation eg in OE for Old English).
'retainer' becomes 'servant' ('servant' can be a synonym of 'retainer'**).
'saving' indicates putting letters inside.
'bishop' becomes 'b' (abbreviation used in chess).
'o'+'servant'='oservant'
'oservant' enclosing 'b' is 'OBSERVANT'.

(Other definitions for observant that I've seen before include "taking things in" , "diligent in duty" , "Closely watching" , "Quick at noticing things, attentive" , "keeping close eye on things" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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