Crossword Genius

Rule reversed by European PM of old (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

walpole

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

'pm of old' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.

'rule reversed by european' is the wordplay.
'rule' becomes 'law' (law is a kind of rule).
'reversed' shows that the letters should be reversed in order.
'by' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'european' becomes 'pole' (someone from Poland).
'law' written backwards gives 'wal'.
'wal'+'pole'='WALPOLE'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for walpole that I've seen before include "Horace -, Castle of Otranto author" , "English PM" , "First British PM" , "Robert ---, PM; Horace ---, novelist" , "Whig statesman" .)

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.