Crossword Genius

Nude worried by start of Rubenesque wrinkle, causing stress (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

underline

'stress' is the definition.
(underlining is a kind of stressing)

'nude worried by start of rubenesque wrinkle' is the wordplay.
'worried' indicates an anagram.
'by' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'start of' indicates taking the first letters.
'wrinkle' becomes 'line' ('line' can be a synonym of 'wrinkle'**).
The initial letter of 'rubenesque' is 'r'.
'nude' with letters rearranged gives 'unde'.
'unde'+'r'+'line'='UNDERLINE'

'causing' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for underline that I've seen before include "Call attention to - highlight" , "Method of showing emphasis in writing" , "Reinforce" , "Emphasise, stress importance" , "To show emphasis in writing" .)

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.