Crossword Genius

Half a minute or less (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

minor

'less' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'half a minute or' is the wordplay.
'half a' indicates taking half.
'minute' with half the letters taken is 'min'.
'min'+'or'='MINOR'

(Other definitions for minor that I've seen before include "Of less importance" , "Smaller - child" , "Young person below voting age" , "Of lesser importance" , "Under-age or of little importance" .)

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