Crossword Genius

Duke, as before, comes to court (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

quad

'to court' is the definition.
(quad can mean a rectangular courtyard)

'duke as before' is the wordplay.
'duke' becomes 'd' (abbreviation).
'as' becomes 'qua' ('qua' is a Latin term meaning 'in the capacity of').
'before' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'd' after 'qua' is 'QUAD'.

'comes' is the link.

(Other definitions for quad that I've seen before include "One of four offspring at the same birth (abbr)" , "bike: > one of four" , "yard" , "Square (abbr)" , "One of four children born at one birth" .)

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.