Crossword Genius

Short ball hit over point? Clever! (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

able

'clever' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'short ball hit over point?' is the wordplay.
'short' means to remove the last letter.
'hit' is an anagram indicator.
'over' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'point?' becomes 'e' (E is an example**).
'ball' with its final letter taken off is 'bal'.
'bal' with letters rearranged gives 'abl'.
'abl'+'e'='ABLE'

(Other definitions for able that I've seen before include "Fitted" , "Qualified - expert" , "Clever skilful" , "Skilled" , "Talented" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app