Crossword Genius

Henry apt to imprison wife, the idiot! (4-3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

half-wit

'the idiot' is the definition.
('half-wit' can be a synonym of 'idiot')

'henry apt to imprison wife' is the wordplay.
'henry' becomes 'hal'.
'apt' becomes 'fit' (I've seen this before).
'to imprison' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'wife' becomes 'w'.
'fit' going around 'w' is 'fwit'.
'hal'+'fwit'='HALF-WIT'

(Other definitions for half-wit that I've seen before include "Fool" , "One only 50% all there?" , "Stupid person" , "Hit flaw (anag.)" , "Idiot" .)

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.