Crossword Genius

Pull back a little, protecting excellent new weapon (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

poniard

'weapon' is the definition.
(poniard is a kind of weapon)

'pull back a little protecting excellent new' is the wordplay.
'pull back' is a reversal indicator (I've seen 'pulled back' mean this).
'a little' becomes 'drop' (a drop is a small amount).
'protecting' is an insertion indicator (inserted letters are held or protected).
'excellent' becomes 'ai' (resembles 'Ad', old-fashioned term for excellent).
'new' becomes 'n' (common abbreviation eg NT for New Testament).
'ai'+'n'='ain'
'drop' going around 'ain' is 'drainop'.
'drainop' written backwards gives 'PONIARD'.

(Other definitions for poniard that I've seen before include "Slender dagger" , "A drop in (anag) - dagger" , "straight crease?" , "Thin knife" .)

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.