Crossword Genius

Strip of silk, perhaps — or lace? (3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

tie

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

'lace?' is the definition.
(lacing is a kind of tying)

'strip of silk perhaps' is the wordplay.
'strip of' says to take the centre (I've seen 'stripped' mean this (outside letters removed)).
'silk' becomes 'satin' (I've seen this before).
'perhaps' becomes 'ie' (I can't justify this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
The middle letter of 'satin' is 't'.
't'+'ie'='TIE'

'or' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for tie that I've seen before include "restraint" , "garb" , "It's worn under the collar" , "Form into a knot or bow" , "Encumbrance" .)

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