Crossword Genius

Catch sight of eastern agent (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

espy

'catch sight of' is the definition.
(espying is a kind of catching sight of)

'eastern agent' is the wordplay.
'eastern' becomes 'e'.
'agent' becomes 'spy' (spy is a kind of agent).
'e'+'spy'='ESPY'

(Other definitions for espy that I've seen before include "Discern" , "Watch" , "Catch sight of (poetic)" , "Pick out at a distance" , "Spot at a distance" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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