Clerics line up in cathedrals (9)
I believe the answer is:
ministers
'clerics' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both people as well as being plural nouns.
Maybe you can see a link between them that I don't see?
'line up in cathedrals' is the wordplay.
'line up' becomes 'i' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'in' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'cathedrals' becomes 'minsters' (minster is a kind of cathedral).
'i' inserted inside 'minsters' is 'MINISTERS'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for ministers that I've seen before include "Officers of church and state" , "Clergymen" .)