Crossword Genius

Cunning church following a Republican (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

arch

'cunning' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'church following a republican' is the wordplay.
'church' becomes 'ch' (common abbreviation).
'following' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'republican' becomes 'r' (abbreviation).
'a'+'r'='ar'
'ch' put after 'ar' is 'ARCH'.

(Other definitions for arch that I've seen before include "Affectedly playful (4)" , "Curved part of stone bridge, perhaps" , "Prefix meaning cheif, perhaps enemy" , "Cunning; span" , "Chief: crafty" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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.