Crossword Genius

English following Queen close in strange Brexit vote? (10)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

referendum

'brexit vote?' is the definition.
(the UK's 'Brexit' referendum is an example)

'english following queen close in strange' is the wordplay.
'english following' becomes 'ef' (this could be a standard abbreviation which I don't know about).
'queen' becomes 'er' (abbreviation for Elizabeth Regina).
'close' becomes 'end' (I've seen this before).
'in' indicates putting letters inside.
'strange' becomes 'rum' (synonyms).
'ef'+'er'+'end'='eferend'
'eferend' placed inside 'rum' is 'REFERENDUM'.

(Other definitions for referendum that I've seen before include "Plebiscite" , "ballot" , "popular vote" , "General vote on a single question" , "Public vote" .)

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.