Crossword Genius

Cover of Escort: a celebrity back issue (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

emanate

'issue' is the definition.
(both can mean to give out or radiate)

'cover of escort a celebrity back' is the wordplay.
'cover of' says to hollow out the word (remove centre letters) (only the letters which cover the word).
'celebrity' becomes 'name' (as in a 'big name').
'back' is a reversal indicator.
'escort' with its centre taken out is 'et'.
'et'+'a'+'name'='etaname'
'etaname' in reverse letter order is 'EMANATE'.

(Other definitions for emanate that I've seen before include "Issue forth, from a source" , "Proceed or issue forth" , "Come out (of source)" , "Give out, emit" , "Send out" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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.