Crossword Genius

Put off time to cut grass back (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

deter

'put off' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'time to cut grass back' is the wordplay.
'time' becomes 't'.
'to cut' is an insertion indicator.
'grass' becomes 'reed' (I've seen this before**).
'back' shows that the letters should be reversed in order.
't' placed within 'reed' is 'reted'.
'reted' back-to-front is 'DETER'.

(Other definitions for deter that I've seen before include "Discourage or prevent from doing something" , "Frighten off; prevent" , "stop" , "Discourage (an activity)" , "Cause not to do something" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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