Crossword Genius

Madonna with Child in stonework (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

masonry

'stonework' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'madonna with child' is the wordplay.
'madonna' becomes 'mary' ('Mary' can be a synonym of 'madonna').
'with' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'child' becomes 'son' (son is a kind of child).
'mary' going around 'son' is 'MASONRY'.

'in' is the link.

(Other definitions for masonry that I've seen before include "Skill in construction" , "Stonework" , "Building work in stone" , "brickwork" .)

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