Crossword Genius

Penny-pinching pillager, crooked Frenchman on the fiddle (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

grappelli

'frenchman on the fiddle' is the definition.
(Stphane Grappelli, French violinist)

'penny-pinching pillager crooked' is the wordplay.
'penny' becomes 'p' (short for pence).
'pinching' indicates putting letters inside (some letters are taken or pinched).
'crooked' is an anagram indicator (a crooked or disrupted version of the letters).
'pillager' anagrammed gives 'grapelli'.
'p' placed within 'grapelli' is 'GRAPPELLI'.

(Other definitions for grappelli that I've seen before include "chap on the fiddle?" , "Stephane -, twentieth Century French jazz violinist" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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