Sharp as Old King Cole in the end (6)

I believe the answer is:

astute

'sharp' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'as old king cole in the end' is the wordplay.
'old king' becomes 'tut' (King Tut).
'in the end' suggests the final letters.
The last letter of 'cole' is 'e'.
'as'+'tut'+'e'='ASTUTE'

(Other definitions for astute that I've seen before include "Clever and canny" , "Nymph who was transformed into a laurel tree to escape Apollo" , "Subtle" , "Discerning" , "Smart and canny" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.

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