Crossword Genius

Descent taking long time on rope (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

lineage

'descent' is the definition.
('lineage' can be a synonym of 'descent')

'long time on rope' is the wordplay.
'long time' becomes 'age' ('age' can be a synonym of 'long time').
'on' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'rope' becomes 'line' (I've seen this in other clues**).
'age' put after 'line' is 'LINEAGE'.

'taking' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for lineage that I've seen before include "Ancestral line as seen in eagle" , "Ancestry, sequence of descendants" , "Direct descent" , "Stock" , "Descent from ancestors" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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