More skilful old wife has escaped a quickie, say (5)
I believe the answer is:
abler
'more skilful' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
I cannot understand how the remainder of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for abler that I've seen before include "fitter" , "Showing more skill" , "Increasingly smart" , "stronger" , "More proficient" .)