Greets an awe-inspiring figure in private circles, maybe (8)

I believe the answer is:

sergeant

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'private circles maybe' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.

'greets an awe-inspiring figure' is the wordplay.
'greets an' can be anagrammed to 'SERGEANT'.
Though, I'm not clear how the anagram is indicated.

'in' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for sergeant that I've seen before include "Police rank" , "CARRY ON FILM" , "officer of the law" , "NCO or police officer ..." , "Army rank" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Independent.

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