Crossword Genius

Friend at length to become less interesting (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

pall

'become less interesting' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'friend at length' is the wordplay.
'friend' becomes 'pal' (pal is a kind of friend).
'at' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'length' becomes 'l'.
'pal'+'l'='PALL'

'to' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for pall that I've seen before include "Become boring and uninteresting" , "tedious here" , "Become tiresome" , "Cloth over a coffin - become insipid" , "Become less appealing" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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