Crossword Genius

Artifice of befuddled magistrate lacking imagination for a start (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

stratagem

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'artifice' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'befuddled magistrate lacking imagination for a start' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'a' is present in the answer.
an anagram of 'start' is 'strta' which is within the remaining letters.
The remaining letters 'gem' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'of' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for stratagem that I've seen before include "A cunning plan or scheme" , "Plan to deceive enemy" , "Manoeuvre - Ma's target (anag)" , "way to outwit opponent" , "Tag master with cunning plan" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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.