Crossword Genius

Ex-president requires hand with task to perform (10)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

mitterrand

'ex-president' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'hand with task to perform' is the wordplay.
'hand' becomes 'mitt' (synonyms).
'with' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'task to perform' becomes 'errand' (an errand is a task or job).
'mitt'+'errand'='MITTERRAND'

'requires' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for mitterrand that I've seen before include "President" , "Old statesman" , "Ex-President" , "Foreign statesman" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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.