Crossword Genius

Be mean with male interrupting dance (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

skimp

'be mean with' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'male interrupting dance' is the wordplay.
'male' becomes 'm' (common abbreviation).
'interrupting' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'dance' becomes 'skip' (I've seen this before).
'm' inserted inside 'skip' is 'SKIMP'.

(Other definitions for skimp that I've seen before include "Spend little" , "Use less to economise" , "Use less than is needed, be penny-pinching" , "Cut back on resources" , "Spend not enough time and care on (job)" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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