Crossword Genius

American war, oh boy, on the rise (3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

nam

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'american war oh' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.

'boy on the rise' is the wordplay.
'boy' becomes 'Man'.
'on the rise' says the letters should be written backwards (in a down clue, letters go up).
'man' backwards is 'NAM'.

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