Crossword Genius

Vigilant fighting Yankee (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

wary

'vigilant' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'fighting yankee' is the wordplay.
'fighting' becomes 'war'.
'yankee' becomes 'Y' (phonetic alphabet: alpha, bravo, charlie etc.).
'war'+'y'='WARY'

(Other definitions for wary that I've seen before include "Guarded" , "Cautious - vigilant" , "Cautious of danger" , "Watchful" , "James Bond villain" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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