Crossword Genius

Gather popular judge retired (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

infer

'gather' is the definition.
('infer' can be a synonym of 'gather')

'popular judge retired' is the wordplay.
'popular' becomes 'in'.
'judge' becomes 'ref'.
'retired' says the letters should be written in reverse.
'ref' back-to-front is 'fer'.
'in'+'fer'='INFER'

(Other definitions for infer that I've seen before include "Draw a conclusion" , "Conclude or judge from facts" , "Insinuate" , "Presume" , "Conjecture" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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