One digging verse by a wise old female (7)
I believe the answer is:
minerva
'wise old female' is the definition.
(Roman goddess of wisdom)
'one digging verse by a' is the wordplay.
'one digging' becomes 'miner' (a person who digs).
'verse' becomes 'v'.
'by' says to put letters next to each other.
'miner'+'v'+'a'='MINERVA'
(Other definitions for minerva that I've seen before include "female of great wisdom" , "Roman counterpart of Athene" , "embodiment of wisdom" , "Divine female" , "Roman goddess of crafts and wisdom - a vermin (anag)" .)