Crossword Genius

... and the rest rising not soon enough (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

late

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

'and the rest rising not soon enough' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.

'and the rest rising' is the wordplay.
'and the rest' becomes 'etal' (I've seen this before).
'rising' shows that the letters should be reversed in order (going up in a down clue).
'etal' backwards is 'LATE'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for late that I've seen before include "Tardy, slow" , "Previous" , "near the end" , "Delayed; dead" , "After the usual time" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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