Crossword Genius

Woman priest to speak and vanish (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

evaporate

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

'woman priest to speak' is the wordplay.
'woman' becomes 'eva' (woman's name).
'priest' becomes 'p' (ecclesiastical abbreviation).
'to speak' becomes 'orate' (orating is a kind of speaking).
'eva'+'p'+'orate'='EVAPORATE'

'and' is the link.

(Other definitions for evaporate that I've seen before include "let off steam" , "Vaporise" , "Go from liquid to vapour" , "Desiccate, dry up" , "Turn from liquid to vapour" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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.