Crossword Genius

Trick question Her Maj put to men and William? (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

conqueror

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

'trick question her maj put to men' is the wordplay.
'trick' becomes 'con' (a con is a fraud or trick).
'question' becomes 'qu' (abbreviation).
'her maj' becomes 'ER' (Elizabeth Regina ie Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth).
'put' says to put letters next to each other.
'to men' becomes 'or' (military abbreviation for Other Ranks).
'con'+'qu'+'er'+'or'='CONQUEROR'

'and' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for conqueror that I've seen before include "For one, William" , "Military victor" , "humbler?" , "William of Normandy" , "Victor, winner" .)

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