Crossword Genius

Whole time alto was performing (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

total

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

'whole' is the definition.
(similar in meaning)

'time alto was performing' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'time' could be 't' (abbreviation) and 't' is found within the answer.
an anagram of 'alto' is 'otal' which is present in the answer.
This accounts for all the letters.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for total that I've seen before include "Ruin" , "Unqualified" , "It might be grand" , "The whole number" , "Count" .)

I've seen this clue in The Mirror.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.