Crossword Genius

Float purchase blocked by Oscar (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

buoy

'float' is the definition.
(buoying is a kind of floating)

'purchase blocked by oscar' is the wordplay.
'purchase' becomes 'buy' (synonyms).
'blocked by' means one lot of letters goes inside another (block can mean to plug a gap in something).
'oscar' becomes 'O' (phonetic alphabet: alpha, bravo, charlie etc.).
'buy' enclosing 'o' is 'BUOY'.

(Other definitions for buoy that I've seen before include "Sea-lane marker" , "Floating item often marking a hazard" , "Marine float" , "keep from going under" , "To raise" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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