Crossword Genius

Like a priest or prior said (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

pastoral

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

'like a priest' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.

'prior said' is the wordplay.
'prior' becomes 'past' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'said' becomes 'oral' (both can mean spoken).
'past'+'oral'='PASTORAL'

'or' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for pastoral that I've seen before include "Idyllic" , "Type of poem" , "Ministerial" , "Country style" , "of minister's duties" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times and The Sunday Times.
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