Crossword Genius

Thus old city becomes bitter (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

sour

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

'thus old city' is the wordplay.
'thus' becomes 'so' (synonyms).
'old city' becomes 'ur' (ancient city state).
'so'+'ur'='SOUR'

'becomes' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for sour that I've seen before include "Curdled" , "Acid - bitter" , "Turned - morose" , "Bitter, tart" , "Acid, tart" .)

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.