Ford, for the third time, nearly upset witch (8)

I believe the answer is:

sorcerer

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'witch' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.

(Other definitions for sorcerer that I've seen before include "In stories, he has magical powers that he uses to harm others" , "Potter, say" , "Male magician, wizard" , "Necromancer or wizard" , "Magician aided by evil spirits" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.

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