Crossword Genius

Acting on the side (2-4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

by-play

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'acting' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are singular nouns.
Perhaps there's an association between them I don't understand?

'the side' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'side' could be 'by' (synonyms) and 'by' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'play' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'on' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for by-play that I've seen before include "Stage business" , "Secondary action, often humorous" , "Secondary action on stage" , "Not the main action" , "Side action on stage" .)

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