Crossword Genius

Heard a girl's sad cry (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

alas

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

'sad cry' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)

'heard a girl's' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'a' is within the answer.
The remaining letters 'las' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for alas that I've seen before include "Regretfully!" , "Expression of grief or misfortune" , "Exclamation of grief" , "Sadly, unfortunately" , "Lackaday" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express and The Mirror.
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