Crossword Genius

"After restrictive court order", women decare (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

avow

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

'after restrictive court order women decare' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.

'after restrictive court order women' is the wordplay.
'after restrictive court' becomes 'av' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'order' becomes 'o' (abbreviation e.g. in British honours OM, OBE etc.).
'women' becomes 'w'.
'av'+'o'+'w'='AVOW'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for avow that I've seen before include "Declare - admit" , "State openly" , "Assert or confess openly" , "Strongly maintain" , "acknowledge" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app