Is she disheartened when addressed as royalty? (5)
I believe the answer is:
madam
'royalty?' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I don't understand how they can define each other.
'is she disheartened when addressed' is the wordplay.
'is she' becomes 'Mia'.
'disheartened' suggests removing the centre (the middle or heart is removed).
'when addressed' becomes 'dam' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'mia' with its centre taken out is 'ma'.
'ma'+'dam'='MADAM'
'as' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for madam that I've seen before include "Woman of standing" , "Bossy girl" , "formidable woman" , "What you would call a female customer (or a spoiled girl!)" , "Titled lady" .)