Crossword Genius

Take the Spanish female supporters back (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

snaffle

'take' is the definition.
(snaffling is a kind of taking)

'the spanish female supporters back' is the wordplay.
'the spanish' becomes 'el'.
'female' becomes 'f' (abbreviation).
'supporters' becomes 'fans' (fan is a kind of supporter).
'back' shows that the letters should be reversed in order.
'el'+'f'+'fans'='elffans'
'elffans' in reverse letter order is 'SNAFFLE'.

(Other definitions for snaffle that I've seen before include "Appropriate" , "A bit; filch" , "bit for the horse" , "A bit; steal (colloq.)" , "Get hold of" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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