Crossword Genius

Wait, say, to introduce a new empty charade (10)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

importance

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'wait say' is the definition.
'importance' can be an answer for 'say' (thesaurus). I'm not sure about the 'wait' bit.

'introduce a new empty charade' is the wordplay.
'introduce' becomes 'import' (I've seen this before).
'new' becomes 'n' (common abbreviation eg NT for New Testament).
'empty' suggests removing the centre.
'charade' with its middle removed is 'ce'.
'import'+'a'+'n'+'ce'='IMPORTANCE'

'to' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for importance that I've seen before include "The -- of Being Earnest" , "See 6" , "value" , "Great significance" , "weight" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app