I note obligation to go round Malta promptly (2,4)
I believe the answer is:
in time
'promptly' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adverbs. Perhaps there's an association between them I don't understand?
'i note obligation to go round malta' is the wordplay.
'note' becomes 'n' (abbreviation).
'obligation' becomes 'tie' (I've seen this before).
'to go round' indicates putting letters inside.
'malta' becomes 'm'.
'tie' going around 'm' is 'time'.
'i'+'n'+'time'='IN TIME'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for in time that I've seen before include "not too late" , "eventually" , "Later perhaps" , "What an orchestra should be" , "What musicians aim to be" .)