I near got sent off - seriously (2,7)

I believe the answer is:

in earnest

'seriously' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'i near got sent off' is the wordplay.
'got' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'off' indicates anagramming the letters.
'sent' is an anagram of 'nest'.
'i'+'near'+'nest'='IN EARNEST'

(Other definitions for in earnest that I've seen before include "seriously" , "Not joking" , "With serious intention, not fooling about (2.7)" , "with enthusiasm" , "showing determination" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

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