18 across
Sue’s
verse
lacking
charm,
then?
(9)
Sue’s verse lacking charm, then? (9)
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The definition is at the beginning of the clue.
How the clue works
Sue is the definition. The wordplay reads as "verse lacking charm" — PROSE (verse, the opposite of poetry) followed by CUTE (charming), giving PROSE + CUTE. The "lacking charm" is a playful misdirection: it's really "verse" plus a word meaning charming, split as PROSE CUTE to spell PROSECUTE.