Crossword Genius

Stake money on northbound Underground before departure (4,6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

ante mortem

'before departure' is the definition.
(before death)

'stake money on northbound underground' is the wordplay.
'stake' becomes 'ante' (anteing is a kind of staking).
'money' becomes 'm' (abbreviation in economics).
'on' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'northbound' shows that the letters should be reversed in order.
'underground' becomes 'metro' (synonyms).
'metro' back-to-front is 'ortem'.
'ante'+'m'+'ortem'='ANTE-MORTEM'

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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.