Crossword Genius

Having no locks, bound to get caught by a group spying (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

alopecia

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

'having no locks' is the definition.
(having no hair - locks can mean hair)

'bound to get caught by a group spying' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'bound' could be 'lope' (to lope is to travel with bounding stride or bound) and 'lope' is located in the answer.
'caught' could be 'c' (cricket abbreviation) and 'c' is found in the answer.
'a' is present in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for alopecia that I've seen before include "Partial or complete absence of hair on the body" , "23" , "Loss of cover" , "distressed state" , "Shock loss" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.