Crossword Genius

Senior member of a party given money (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

doyen

'senior member' is the definition.
(a senior or respected figure)

'a party given money' is the wordplay.
'a party' becomes 'do' (do is a kind of party).
'given' says to put letters next to each other.
'money' becomes 'yen' (Japanese currency).
'do'+'yen'='DOYEN'

'of' is the link.

(Other definitions for doyen that I've seen before include "Dean of an academy" , "Senior man of a group" , "Prominent group member" , "Top expert in a field" , "Most prominent expert" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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.