Crossword Genius

Surreptitious way able-bodied husband’s abandoned (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

stealthy

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

'way able-bodied husband's abandoned' is the wordplay.
'way' becomes 'st'.
'able-bodied' becomes 'healthy' ('healthy' can be similar in meaning to 'able-bodied').
'husband' becomes 'h'.
'abandoned' is a deletion indicator.
'healthy' with 'h' removed is 'ealthy'.
'st'+'ealthy'='STEALTHY'

(Other definitions for stealthy that I've seen before include "'Sneaky, clandestine (8)'" , "That's Ely (anag.)" , "Secretive, silent" , "Covert - clandestine" , "Underhand" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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