Crossword Genius

Puritan, but saucy on the quiet (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

prude

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'puritan' is the definition.
(I know that puritan can be written as prude)

'saucy on the quiet' is the wordplay.
'saucy' becomes 'rude' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'on' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'the quiet' becomes 'p' (music symbol for 'piano', ie soft or quiet).
'rude' put after 'p' is 'PRUDE'.

'but' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for prude that I've seen before include "Priggish person" , "Puritan, prig" , "old maid" , "Type overly concerned with decorum" , "may be shocking for me" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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.