Crossword Genius

Bound to be a meadow near the top of the pasture (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

leap

'bound' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'a meadow near the top of the pasture' is the wordplay.
'a meadow' becomes 'lea' (a lea is a grassy area).
'near the' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'top of' suggests taking the first letters.
The first letter of 'pasture' is 'p'.
'lea'+'p'='LEAP'

'to be' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for leap that I've seen before include "Sudden surge" , "Abrupt change; spring" , "Basket" , "Jump; type of year" , "'Look before you . . . .'" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Independent.
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