Crossword Genius

Blackmail English team hosting wrong side at Lord's (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

extortion

'blackmail' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'english team hosting wrong side at lord's' is the wordplay.
'english' becomes 'e' (abbreviation).
'team' becomes 'xi' (eleven, a football team).
'hosting' indicates putting letters inside.
'wrong' becomes 'tort' (legal term**).
'side at lord's' becomes 'on' (cricket term).
'xi' placed around 'tort' is 'xtorti'.
'e'+'xtorti'+'on'='EXTORTION'

(Other definitions for extortion that I've seen before include "The obtaining of money by force or threat" , "Blackmail" , "Extraction of money with menaces" .)

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.