Crossword Genius

Formal celeb first to claim healthy skin (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

starchy

'formal' is the definition.
(similar in meaning)

'celeb first to claim healthy skin' is the wordplay.
'celeb' becomes 'star' (I've seen this in another clue).
'first to' suggests taking the first letters.
'skin' means to remove the middle letters (only the skin or outside of the word is used).
'healthy' with its middle taken out is 'hy'.
The first letter of 'claim' is 'c'.
'star'+'c'+'hy'='STARCHY'

(Other definitions for starchy that I've seen before include "Stiff, formal" , "Stiff and formalistic" , "Unbending" , "Stiff, like potatoes" , "Conventional" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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.