Crossword Genius

In church, vice out of bounds (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

chic

'in' is the definition.
(in can mean chic or fashionable)

'church vice out of bounds' is the wordplay.
'church' becomes 'ch' (abbreviation on maps etc).
'out of bounds' says to take the centre (the bounds or edges of the word are removed).
The middle letters of 'vice' are 'ic'.
'ch'+'ic'='CHIC'

(Other definitions for chic that I've seen before include "Stylishly turned out" , "In vogue" , "Unwanted sounds" , "Smart - elegant - fashionable" , "French elegance" .)

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.