Crossword Genius

Experienced deaconess caught out surprisingly (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

seasoned

'experienced' is the definition.
('seasoned' can be similar in meaning to 'experienced')

'deaconess caught out surprisingly' is the wordplay.
'caught' becomes 'c' (cricket abbreviation).
'out' is a deletion indicator.
'surprisingly' indicates anagramming the letters.
'deaconess' with 'c' removed is 'deaoness'.
'deaoness' is an anagram of 'SEASONED'.

(Other definitions for seasoned that I've seen before include "Mature" , "Expert" , "Of food, flavoured with salt, pepper etc" , "Veteran - given added flavour" , "(Of wood) dried out for use as timber" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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