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Former partner went to collect learners sent down (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

expelled

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'sent down' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both to do with social activities as well as being past participle verbs.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?

'former partner went to collect learners' is the wordplay.
'former partner' becomes 'ex' (an ex-partner).
'went' becomes 'peed' (both can mean urinated).
'to collect' means one lot of letters goes inside another (inserted letters are collected by others).
'learners' becomes 'LL' (the abbreviation for learner driver written twice).
'peed' enclosing 'll' is 'pelled'.
'ex'+'pelled'='EXPELLED'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for expelled that I've seen before include "Removed (eg from school)" , "Forced to leave" , "Driven out" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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