Crossword Genius

Colour I observed in ring, twirling it around (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

lilac

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

'colour' is the definition.
(I know that lilac is a colour)

'i observed in ring twirling it around' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'i' could be 'a' and 'a' is found in the answer.
'around' could be 'c' (abbreviation for 'circa') and 'c' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'lil' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for lilac that I've seen before include "Light-purple" , "Lavender colour" , "Pale violet hue" , "I call (anag)" , "Purplish in colour" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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