Crossword Genius

Hoped to put out an advertisement about something lofty (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

aspired

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

'hoped' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'out an advertisement about something lofty' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'an' could be 'i' (Roman numeral for one) and 'i' is located in the answer.
'about' could be 're' ('re' means regarding or about) and 're' is found within the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

'to put' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for aspired that I've seen before include "Hoped" , "Aimed" , "Had ambition" , "Was most anxious to" , "Had an ambitious plan or lofty goal" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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