Crossword Genius

Lover once noisily kissed soldier perhaps in the club (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

expectant

'in the club' is the definition.
(both can mean pregnant)

'lover once noisily kissed soldier' is the wordplay.
'lover once' becomes 'ex' (an ex-lover).
'noisily' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue.
'kissed' becomes 'pecked' (pecking is a kind of kissing).
'soldier' becomes 'ant' (soldier is a type of ant).
'pecked' sounds like 'pect'.
'ex'+'pect'+'ant'='EXPECTANT'

'perhaps' is the link.

(Other definitions for expectant that I've seen before include "Waiting for something" , "Eager to see what happens" , "Hopeful" , "in the club" , "Anticipating" .)

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