Crossword Genius

Prior to take care of put it on (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

pretend

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

'put it on' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.

'prior to take care' is the wordplay.
'prior to' becomes 'pre' (I've seen this in other clues).
'take care' becomes 'tend' (I've seen this in another clue).
'pre'+'tend'='PRETEND'

'of' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for pretend that I've seen before include "Imaginary, make-believe" , "Make believe - imply falsely" , "bluff" , "make a false claim" , "Suppose" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.
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.