Crossword Genius

Comes back about to swear, stopping short (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

recurs

'comes back' is the definition.
(recurring is a kind of coming back)

'about to swear stopping short' is the wordplay.
'about' becomes 're' (regarding).
'to swear' becomes 'curse' ('curse' can be a synonym of 'swear').
'stopping short' means to remove the last letter.
'curse' with its last letter taken off is 'curs'.
're'+'curs'='RECURS'

(Another definition for recurs that I've seen is " Happens again and perhaps again".)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app