Crossword Genius

Employs English errand boys? Not at first (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

engages

'employs' is the definition.
(engaging is a kind of employing)

'english errand boys? not at first' is the wordplay.
'english' becomes 'eng' (abbreviation).
'errand boys?' becomes 'pages' (page is a kind of errand boy).
'not at first' means to remove the first letter.
'pages' with its initial letter taken off is 'ages'.
'eng'+'ages'='ENGAGES'

(Other definitions for engages that I've seen before include "books" , "Employs, hires" .)

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