Crossword Genius

Exceptional dearness expressed primarily in these songs? (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

serenades

'these songs?' is the definition.
(serenade is a kind of song)

'exceptional dearness expressed primarily' is the wordplay.
'exceptional' indicates anagramming the letters.
'primarily' says to take the initial letters.
The initial letter of 'expressed' is 'e'.
'dearness'+'e'='dearnesse'
'dearnesse' is an anagram of 'SERENADES'.

'in' is the link.

(Other definitions for serenades that I've seen before include "Woos with music" , "airs" , "Love songs under fair lady's window" , "Pieces of music" .)

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.