Crossword Genius

Ringer’s appearance acolytes initially approve of (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

lookalike

'ringer's' is the definition.
(a dead ringer for someone is their lookalike)

'appearance acolytes initially approve of' is the wordplay.
'appearance' becomes 'look' (look is a kind of appearance).
'initially' suggests taking the first letters.
'approve of' becomes 'like' (like can mean to approve of something).
The first letter of 'acolytes' is 'a'.
'look'+'a'+'like'='LOOKALIKE'

(Other definitions for lookalike that I've seen before include "Copy" , "Doppelganger" , "twin?" , "Double" .)

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.