Crossword Genius

Covered vine uncovered and certainly dead (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

insured

'covered' is the definition.
(covered by insurance)

'vine uncovered and certainly dead' is the wordplay.
'uncovered' indicates the central letters.
'and' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'certainly' becomes 'sure' (synonyms).
'dead' becomes 'd' (abbreviation in government records).
The middle letters of 'vine' are 'in'.
'in'+'sure'+'d'='INSURED'

(Other definitions for insured that I've seen before include "Financially covered" , "Protected against loss" , "Covered for burglary?" , "Financially protected" , "Covered against mishaps" .)

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