Crossword Genius

Belief mother is after spaniel, say (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

dogma

'belief' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'mother is after spaniel say' is the wordplay.
'mother' becomes 'ma' (ma can mean mother).
'is after' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'spaniel say' becomes 'dog' (spaniel is a kind of dog).
'ma' after 'dog' is 'DOGMA'.

(Other definitions for dogma that I've seen before include "Laid-down doctrine" , "Blind faith required" , "Body of religious doctrine" , "Laid down set of (religious) principles" , "Inflexible principles" .)

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.