Crossword Genius

Dodgy Eastern pledge (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

earnest

'pledge' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'dodgy eastern' is the wordplay.
'dodgy' is an anagram indicator.
'eastern' is an anagram of 'EARNEST'.

(Other definitions for earnest that I've seen before include "Fixed" , "Oscar Wilde wrote ''The importance of Being . . . . . . . '' (7)" , "'Heartfelt, sincere (7)'" , "money put down" , "Art deserving" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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