Crossword Genius

Got better chief to hold the Spanish back (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

healed

'got better' is the definition.
('heal' can be a synonym of 'get better')

'chief to hold the spanish back' is the wordplay.
'chief' becomes 'head' (synonyms).
'to hold' is an insertion indicator.
'the spanish' becomes 'el' ('the' in Spanish).
'back' is a reversal indicator.
'el' in reverse letter order is 'le'.
'head' enclosing 'le' is 'HEALED'.

(Other definitions for healed that I've seen before include "Cured, mended" , "Mended, recovered" , "Became well again" , "Put right" , "Made well" .)

I've seen this clue in The Sun and 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.