Noblemen on time, namely entering before everyone else? (8)
I believe the answer is:
earliest
'before everyone else?' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.
'noblemen on time namely entering' is the wordplay.
'noblemen' becomes 'earls' (earl is a kind of nobleman).
'on' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'time' becomes 't' (abbreviation).
'namely' becomes 'ie' (short for 'id est', 'that is' in Latin).
'entering' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'earls'+'t'='earlst'
'earlst' enclosing 'ie' is 'EARLIEST'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for earliest that I've seen before include "Arriving first" , "Nearest the beginning in time" , "Furthest back in time" , "Original or most previous" , "First occurring" .)