Crossword Genius

Evades with letter about cloak (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

escapes

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

'evades' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'letter about cloak' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'letter' could be 'pe' (pe is a kind of letter of the alphabet) and 'pe' is found within the answer.
'about' could be 'ca' (abbreviation for circa) and 'ca' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'ess' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'with' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for escapes that I've seen before include "Gets away from captivity" , "Gets free" , "Evades" , "Breaks loose" , "Breaks free" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.