Crossword Genius

Loss of confidence arising out of previous charge in court (4,4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

cold feet

'loss of confidence' is the definition.
(getting cold feet means getting doubtful)

'previous charge in court' is the wordplay.
'previous' becomes 'old' (I've seen this in another clue).
'charge' becomes 'fee' (fee is a kind of charge).
'in' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'court' becomes 'ct' (abbreviation used in road names).
'old'+'fee'='oldfee'
'oldfee' put within 'ct' is 'COLD FEET'.

'arising out of' is the link.

(Other definitions for cold feet that I've seen before include "You might have them if you're afraid to proceed" , "Feeling of fear - in lower extremities?" , "Loss of nerve" , "Chilly extremities due to fear" , "result of paddling in winter ?" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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.