Crossword Genius

Penalises London area for elegance (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

finesse

'for elegance' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'penalises london area' is the wordplay.
'penalises' becomes 'fines'.
'london area' becomes 'SE' (abbreviation for South East).
'fines'+'se'='FINESSE'

(Other definitions for finesse that I've seen before include "Artifice" , "isky card play" , "Delicate handling of a situation" , "Subtle elegance" , "Hopeful ploy at cards" .)

I've seen this clue in The Mirror.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app