Crossword Genius

Cat’s up, before one round it’s withdrawn (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

taciturn

'withdrawn' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'cat's up before one round' is the wordplay.
'up' is a reversal indicator (in down clue: letters go upwards).
'before' says to put letters next to each other.
'one' becomes 'i' (roman numeral).
'round' becomes 'turn' (synonyms).
'cat' reversed gives 'tac'.
'tac'+'i'+'turn'='TACITURN'

'it's' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for taciturn that I've seen before include "Far from talkative" , "Reticent" , "Quiet and uncommunicative" , "Reserved and uncommunicative" , "Uncommunicative, of few words" .)

I've seen this clue in The Hindu.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.