What does the cryptic crossword clue "Sparkling hospital department, highly thought of (7)" mean?

The definition is "Sparkling". The wordplay uses a charade (building blocks). AE (synonym="Accident and Emergency, ‘hospital department’") + RATED (synonym="‘highly thought of’") = AERATED; definition: "Sparkling" The answer is AERATED.

Sparkling hospital department, highly thought of (7)

Guardian Cryptic #29304 | 4 Down | 2024-02-13 flower

← Back to puzzle

Visit Guardian's puzzle site →