Crossword Genius

Cried like a cat when setter obliged to pay (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

meowed

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'cried like a cat' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'setter obliged to pay' is the wordplay.
'setter' becomes 'me' (the setter of the clue).
'obliged to pay' becomes 'owed' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'me'+'owed'='MEOWED'

'when' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Another definition for meowed that I've seen is " Cried like a cat".)

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