Crossword Genius

The Italian king is kind (3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

ilk

'is kind' is the definition.
(ilk can mean a type or kind)

'the italian king' is the wordplay.
'the italian' becomes 'il' (Italian for 'the').
'king' becomes 'K' (abbreviation for king in chess).
'il'+'k'='ILK'

(Other definitions for ilk that I've seen before include "Description" , "A kind of person" , "Of that kind or sort" , "Like" , "Of that kind in Kilkenny" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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