Crossword Genius

Caught unawares, Spurs dire, out of form (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

surprised

'caught unawares' is the definition.

'spurs dire out of form' is the wordplay.
'out of form' is an anagram indicator.
'spurs'+'dire'='spursdire'
'spursdire' with letters rearranged gives 'SURPRISED'.

(Other definitions for surprised that I've seen before include "Took unawares" , "Shocked" , "Astounded" , "left open-mouthed" , "Taken unawares" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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