Give one a ring - then elope maybe (9)

I believe the answer is:

telephone

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'give one a ring' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.

'then elope maybe' is the wordplay.
'maybe' is an anagram indicator.
'then'+'elope'='thenelope'
'thenelope' is an anagram of 'TELEPHONE'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for telephone that I've seen before include "communicator" , "Worldwide system of communication" , "Communicating tool" , "Transmitter of spoken words" , "Book with an alphabetical list of subscribers and numbers" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.

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