Crossword Genius

Women score with staff poet (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

whitman

'poet' is the definition.
(19th-century American poet Walt Whitman)

'women score with staff' is the wordplay.
'women' becomes 'w' (standard abbreviation).
'score' becomes 'hit' (synonyms).
'with' says to put letters next to each other.
'staff' becomes 'man' (as in staffing or manning a particular place).
'w'+'hit'+'man'='WHITMAN'

(Other definitions for whitman that I've seen before include "Walt --, US poet" , "Slim < country and western singer" , "Walt . . . . . . ., American poet of 'Leaves of Grass'" , "American writer" , "Walt . . . . . . . great American poet" .)

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