Crossword Genius

Goes out with the figures on the calendar (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

dates

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

'goes out with' is the definition.
('date' can be a synonym of 'go out with')

'figures on the calendar' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'on' could be 'at' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'at' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'des' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'the' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for dates that I've seen before include "becomes less fresh" , "Goes steady" , "Is seeing" , "Occasions" , "Takes out" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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