Crossword Genius

I give out cards of the most desirable quality (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

ideal

'desirable quality' is the definition.
(a desirable quality or value)

'i give out cards of the most' is the wordplay.
'give out cards' becomes 'deal' (in a card game).
'of' becomes 'o''.
'the most' means to remove the last letter.
'i'+'deal'+'o'='idealo'
'idealo' with its final letter taken away is 'IDEAL'.

(Other definitions for ideal that I've seen before include "Perfect but perhaps unlikely to become reality" , "just the job" , "Just the ticket" , "'Perfect, model (5)'" , "faultless" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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.