Crossword Genius

Bell-ringer, as it were, meeting terrible doom (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

quasimodo

'bell-ringer' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'as it were meeting terrible doom' is the wordplay.
'as it were' becomes 'quasi' (prefix meaning 'almost' or 'seemingly').
'meeting' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'terrible' indicates an anagram.
'doom' is an anagram of 'modo'.
'quasi'+'modo'='QUASIMODO'

(Other definitions for quasimodo that I've seen before include "Sunday after Easter" , "Fictional hunchback" , "bell ringer" , "crooked character" , "Hunchback of Notre-Dame" .)

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