Crossword Genius

Animal some shot, about to make a meal (5,3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

great ape

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'animal' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'some shot about to make a meal' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'some' could be 'a' and 'a' is present in the answer.
'about' could be 're' ('re' means regarding or about) and 're' is located in the answer.
'a' is found in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for great ape that I've seen before include "Wild animal" , "orang-utan, for example" , "Large primate" , "chimpanzee, for example" , "gorilla, say" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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