Crossword Genius

Give US intelligence a ring and say hello (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

ciao

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

'say hello' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both related to communication as well as being singular nouns.
Maybe there's a link between them I don't understand?

'give us intelligence a ring' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'intelligence' could be 'cia' (Central Intelligence Agency) and 'cia' is present in the answer.
'ring' could be 'o' (letter resembling a ring) and 'o' is located in the answer.
No letters remain.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'and' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for ciao that I've seen before include "Italian salutation" , "See you later in Rome?" , "Hello and goodbye to the Italians" , "Buongiorno o arrivederci" , "Italian hello or goodbye" .)

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