Crossword Genius

Fools before singular judge (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

assess

'judge' is the definition.
(to assess is to judge or rate)

'fools before singular' is the wordplay.
'fools' becomes 'asses' (ass can mean a foolish person).
'before' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'singular' becomes 's' (abbreviation sometimes used in dictionaries).
'asses'+'s'='ASSESS'

(Other definitions for assess that I've seen before include "Remedy for all ills" , "Place a value on" , "Fix the amount of tax" , "Gauge, evaluate" , "Reckon value" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian and the Best For Puzzles.
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