Crossword Genius

Do this to about a hundred and you have about fifty (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

halve

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'do this to about a hundred and you' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun but the answer is not.

'have about fifty' is the wordplay.
'about' is an insertion indicator.
'fifty' becomes 'L' (Roman numeral).
'have' enclosing 'l' is 'HALVE'.

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(Other definitions for halve that I've seen before include "Cut down substantially" , "cut by fifty percent" , "Divide fifty-fifty" , "Reduce by a factor of two" , "Bisect" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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