Article I digested on female — one with taking ways? (5)
I believe the answer is:
thief
'one with taking ways?' is the definition.
'article i digested on female' is the wordplay.
'article' becomes 'the' (the 'definite article' part of speech**).
'digested' is an insertion indicator.
'on' says to put letters next to each other.
'female' becomes 'f' (abbreviation).
'the' enclosing 'i' is 'thie'.
'thie'+'f'='THIEF'
(Other definitions for thief that I've seen before include "Aus. or Scots city" , "A robber or pickpocket" , "Stealer" , "Person who steals things" , "Afternoon break" .)