Crossword Genius

Imprisoned - constant time in the finish (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

encaged

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

'imprisoned constant time in the finish' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.

'constant time in the finish' is the wordplay.
'constant' becomes 'c' (mathematical abbreviation).
'time' becomes 'age' (an age is a period of time).
'in' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'the finish' becomes 'end' (I've seen this before).
'c'+'age'='cage'
'cage' going inside 'end' is 'ENCAGED'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Another definition for encaged that I've seen is " put behind bars".)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app