Crossword Genius

I love to chase old man close to nudist courtyard (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

patio

'courtyard' is the definition.
(a patio is an outdoor space or courtyard)

'i love to chase old man close to nudist' is the wordplay.
'love' becomes 'o' (love means zero in tennis).
'to chase' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'old man' becomes 'pa' (both can mean father).
'close to' says to take the final letters (the 'close' to the word).
The last letter of 'nudist' is 't'.
'i'+'o'='io'
'pa'+'t'='pat'
'io' after 'pat' is 'PATIO'.

(Other definitions for patio that I've seen before include "Paved outdoor area" , "Paved area alongside a house" , "Barbecue location?" , "Exterior paved area" , "Paved area next to house" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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