Crossword Genius

Bolts sailors do on empty decks (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

absconds

'bolts' is the definition.
('abscond' can be a synonym of 'bolt')

'sailors do on empty decks' is the wordplay.
'sailors' becomes 'abs' (I've seen this in other clues**).
'do' becomes 'con'.
'on' says to put letters next to each other.
'empty' means to remove the middle letters.
'decks' with its middle taken out is 'ds'.
'abs'+'con'+'ds'='ABSCONDS'

(Other definitions for absconds that I've seen before include "Decamps" , "Does a bunk" , "Bolts, runs away" , "Flees to escape from a legal process" , "Flees, runs away" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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