Guardian Prize

[Maggie2701]

18a Dutch playing away, Northern Ireland 's cleverest attacker starts in defence. (12) f-r-i-a-----

[fiction-factory]

fornication?

[fiction-factory]

ignore that!

[Tilly2]

:-)

[fiction-factory]

Your Answer...close- for(nica)tress

[fiction-factory]

fornicatress

[fiction-factory]

Not sure where the Dutch bit comes in yet though

[aelmpvw]

'northern ireland's cleverest attacker starts' is probably b (george Best) if that helps :-)

[fiction-factory]

I think that gives the NICA
A fornicatress is an adulteer (plays away) but....

[aelmpvw]

ignore me as well :-)

[fiction-factory]

Must be NICA in FORTRESS (Defence) though, surely

[dannyk13]

Fornicatress -N(orthern) + I(relands) + c(leverest) + a(ttacker) inside fortress (defence)

[dannyk13]

FF -Dutch is synonym of wife,

[fiction-factory]

Yes, we got that bit but I'm puzzled about the definition and the switch from noun to verb

[fiction-factory]

Crossed posts. Thanks.

[dannyk13]

A wife playing away is a fornicatress

[fiction-factory]

Apart from here and in a previous crossword I've never heard the term Dutch used for wife in real life

[dannyk13]

Again crossed posts

[dannyk13]

Have you never heard the song 'My Old Dutch.?

[dannyk13]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Old_Dutch_(song)

[fiction-factory]

Never heard it danny. I've heard the terms Double Dutch (and the song), going Dutch, Dutch cap- but not my dutch