Crossword Genius

A tune-up during the opera (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

aria

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

'during the opera' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.

'a tune-up' is the wordplay.
'tune' becomes 'air' (air can mean a piece of music).
'up' is a reversal indicator (in down clue: letters go upwards).
'air' backwards is 'ria'.
'a'+'ria'='ARIA'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for aria that I've seen before include "Song from an opera (4)" , "Opera solo" , "Operatic solo performance" , "Air in an opera" , "Imitative art work" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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