Played march to end but missed odd bits (5)

I believe the answer is:

acted

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'played' is the definition.
('act' can be a synonym of 'play')

I don't understand how the rest of the clue works.

(Other definitions for acted that I've seen before include "Played a role" , "appeared on stage" , "Play a role" , "Feigned" , "Behaved in a certain manner" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.

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