Crossword Genius

Sat in bow, nervously embracing a sailor (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

boatswain

'sailor' is the definition.
(boatswain is an officer on a ship)

'sat in bow nervously embracing a' is the wordplay.
'nervously' indicates an anagram.
'embracing' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'sat'+'in'+'bow'='satinbow'
'satinbow' anagrammed gives 'boatswin'.
'boatswin' going around 'a' is 'BOATSWAIN'.

(Other definitions for boatswain that I've seen before include "Seaman" , "I was not AB (anag) - naval warrant officer" , "Crew member" , "who has a pipe with a mate?" , "Warrant officer in charge of a ship's crew" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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.