Crossword Genius

Turn pale not having a dress (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

gown

'dress' is the definition.
(I know this)

'turn pale not having a' is the wordplay.
'turn' becomes 'go' (a person's move in a board game).
'pale' becomes 'wan' (wan can mean pale or grey).
'not having' suggests deleting specific letters.
'wan' with 'a' taken out is 'wn'.
'go'+'wn'='GOWN'

(Other definitions for gown that I've seen before include "Academic robe" , "Long formal dress" , "Academic (or evening) wear" , "Elegant dress" , "An evening dress" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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.