Crossword Genius

Mishandled foul debts, leading to lack of confidence (4-5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

self-doubt

'lack of confidence' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'mishandled foul debts leading' is the wordplay.
'mishandled' indicates anagramming the letters.
'leading' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'foul' put after 'debts' is 'debtsfoul'.
'debtsfoul' anagrammed gives 'SELF-DOUBT'.

'to' acts as a link.

(Another definition for self-doubt that I've seen is " Lack of confidence".)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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.