Crossword Genius

Heard lawmen in wood (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

copse

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

'wood' is the definition.
(a copse is a small wood)

'heard lawmen' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'lawmen' could be 'cops' (cop is a kind of lawman) and 'cops' is found within the answer.
A single letter 'e' remains which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

'in' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for copse that I've seen before include "Harvested woodland" , "Small group of trees" , "Dense thicket of trees" , "Coppice" , "Piece of managed woodland" .)

I've seen this clue in The Mirror.
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