Crossword Genius

Former wife in St. Helier, somehow (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

erstwhile

'former' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'wife in st helier somehow' is the wordplay.
'wife' becomes 'w'.
'in' is an insertion indicator.
'somehow' indicates anagramming the letters.
'st'+'helier'='sthelier'
'sthelier' with letters rearranged gives 'ersthile'.
'w' going into 'ersthile' is 'ERSTWHILE'.

(Other definitions for erstwhile that I've seen before include "Former, previous" , "Quondam" , "Former - list where (anag)" , "Formerly" , "In the past" .)

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.