Crossword Genius

Open up with president losing face (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

widen

'open up' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)

'with president losing face' is the wordplay.
'with' becomes 'w' (short for with).
'president' becomes 'biden' (Joe Biden).
'losing face' means to remove the first letter.
'biden' with its first letter taken off is 'iden'.
'w'+'iden'='WIDEN'

(Other definitions for widen that I've seen before include "Expand" , "Make less narrow" , "Add" , "Edwin (anag)" , "Spread" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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.