Crossword Genius

Keeping watch, saw Roman poet leaving right before magnate, oddly (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

vigilant

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

'keeping watch' is the definition.

'right before magnate oddly' is the wordplay.
'right' becomes 'vigil' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'before' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'oddly' indicates alternate letters (letters in odd-numbered positions).
The alternate letters of 'magnate' are 'ant'.
'vigil'+'ant'='VIGILANT'

'saw roman poet leaving' is the link.
This may not be right. Some or all of it may be part of another bit of the clue.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for vigilant that I've seen before include "Ever watchful" , "On the lookout" , "Watchful, on guard" , "Carefully observant or attentive" , "Be watchful while I gilt van" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.