Crossword Genius

Back soldiers with the wild distinctive mark (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

signature

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

'back soldiers with the wild' is the wordplay.
'back' is a reversal indicator.
'soldiers' becomes 'gis' (I've seen this in other clues**).
'with' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'the wild' becomes 'nature' ('nature' can be a synonym of 'wild').
'gis' written backwards gives 'sig'.
'sig'+'nature'='SIGNATURE'

(Other definitions for signature that I've seen before include "Distinctive mark" , "Name written by its owner" , "Personal mark" , "ending to letter?" , "distinctive style" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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.