Crossword Genius

Charm of funny Belgium mostly attracting English (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

beguile

'charm' is the definition.
(I know that charm can be written as beguile)

'funny belgium mostly attracting english' is the wordplay.
'funny' is an anagram indicator.
'mostly' means to remove the last letter.
'attracting' is an insertion indicator (inserted letters are attracted inside).
'english' becomes 'e' (abbreviation).
'belgium' with its last letter removed is 'belgiu'.
'belgiu' anagrammed gives 'bguile'.
'bguile' placed around 'e' is 'BEGUILE'.

'of' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for beguile that I've seen before include "Charm, entrance" , "Charm or captivate" , "Charm, divert" , "Hoodwink" , "Fascinate" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app