Crossword Genius

Topless brothel-keeper expelled gardener (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

adam

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

'topless brothel-keeper' is the wordplay.
'topless' means to remove the first letter.
'brothel keeper' becomes 'madam' (synonyms).
'madam' with its first letter taken off is 'ADAM'.

(Other definitions for adam that I've seen before include "__ Smith, author of The Wealth of Nations" , "Biblical first man" , "First Christian ancestor" , "Robert-, eighteenth century Scots architect" , "Early man" .)

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.