Crossword Genius

Protect piece oddly only appearing in verse (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

poetic

'in verse' is the definition.
(in poetry)

'protect piece oddly only appearing' is the wordplay.
'oddly only appearing' means one should take alternating letters (only the letters in odd-numbered positions).
'protect'+'piece'='protectpiece'
The alternate letters of 'protectpiece' are 'POETIC'.

(Other definitions for poetic that I've seen before include "Ice pot (anag.)" , "Clearly expressed in speech/writing" , "Lyrical or romantic" , "Flowery" , "rhythmical" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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.