Crossword Genius

String covering that is on foot and head (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

chieftain

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'head' is the definition.
(chieftain is a kind of head)

'string covering that is on foot' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'foot' could be 'ft' (abbreviation) and 'ft' is found in the answer.
'that is' could be 'ie' (short for Latin 'id est', 'that is') and 'ie' is found within the answer.
'string' could be 'chain' (synonyms) and 'chain' is found in the remaining letters.
This accounts for all the letters.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'and' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for chieftain that I've seen before include "Head of tribe" , "Head of a clan" , "Tribe's leader" , "Tribal leader" , "Tribal chief" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times and The Sunday Times.
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