Crossword Genius

A shot at emulating Charlie Lamb (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

essay

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'a shot' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

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(Other definitions for essay that I've seen before include "Short literary piece: attempt" , "Analytic or interpretive literary composition (5_" , "Test" , "Try; short written work" , "School compeosition" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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