Crossword Genius

Born writer tucked into tasty bit of bread once (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

ninepence

'bit of bread once' is the definition.
(old coin - 'bread' can mean money)

'born writer tucked into tasty' is the wordplay.
'born' becomes 'ne' ('born' in French - used to indicate a birth name).
'writer' becomes 'pen' (something which writes).
'tucked into' is an insertion indicator.
'tasty' becomes 'nice' (nice can mean nice-tasting).
'ne'+'pen'='nepen'
'nepen' going within 'nice' is 'NINEPENCE'.

(Other definitions for ninepence that I've seen before include "amount of old money" , "Using old money, had one over the eight" , "Three-quarters of a shilling" , "in a right old state" .)

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.