Crossword Genius

Dog training ahead of test? It requires careful manipulation (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

puppetry

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'it requires careful manipulation' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.

'dog training ahead of test?' is the wordplay.
'dog' becomes 'pup' (I have seen 'Young dog ' mean 'pup' so perhaps 'dog' could also mean 'pup').
'training' becomes 'PE' (short for Physical Education).
'ahead of' says to put letters next to each other (some letters go in front of others).
'test?' becomes 'try' (synonyms).
'pup'+'pe'+'try'='PUPPETRY'

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(Other definitions for puppetry that I've seen before include "Eg, use of marionettes" , "Art of small moving figures" , "The art of manipulating dolls" , "that may have strings attached" , "Unconvincing presentation" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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