Crossword Genius

Look hard for missing English celebrity (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

star

'celebrity' is the definition.
(I know that star is a type of celebrity)

'look hard for missing english' is the wordplay.
'look hard for' becomes 'stare' (to stare at something is to look hard at it).
'missing' is a deletion indicator.
'english' becomes 'e' (abbreviation).
'stare' with 'e' taken out is 'STAR'.

(Other definitions for star that I've seen before include "Principal actor in a film" , "Arts (anag)" , "Five-pointed celestial body" , "Polaris, possibly" , "Leading character" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app