Crossword Genius

Suspect male is captured by devious ruse (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

surmise

'suspect' is the definition.
('surmise' can be a synonym of 'suspect')

'male is captured by devious ruse' is the wordplay.
'male' becomes 'm' (common abbreviation).
'captured by' is an insertion indicator.
'devious' indicates an anagram.
'm'+'is'='mis'
'ruse' is an anagram of 'sure'.
'mis' inserted within 'sure' is 'SURMISE'.

(Other definitions for surmise that I've seen before include "Conjecture from misuser" , "Suppose without evidence" , "Supposition - guess" , "suspect" , "Speculate about misuser" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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.