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Father tied the knot and ran his hands over it (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

pawed

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'knot and ran his hands over it' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun but the answer is not.

'father tied' is the wordplay.
'father' becomes 'pa' (pa can mean dad or father).
'tied' becomes 'we'd' (I've seen this in another clue).
'pa'+'wed'='PAWED'

'the' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for pawed that I've seen before include "Roughly handled" , "Manhandled" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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