Instinctively less delicate leader... (7,8)
I believe the answer is:
without thinking
'instinctively less delicate leader' is the definition.
The definition and answer are not the same part of speech.
'instinctively less delicate leader' is the wordplay.
'instinctively less' becomes 'without' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'delicate' becomes 'thin' (similar in meaning).
'leader' becomes 'king' (a king is a royal leader).
'without'+'thin'+'king'='WITHOUT THINKING'
Can you help me to learn more?
I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.
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