Crossword Genius

Listen hard to old ship (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

hark

'listen' is the definition.
(harking is a kind of listening)

'hard to old ship' is the wordplay.
'hard' becomes 'h' (abbreviation used in pencil classifications).
'to old ship' becomes 'ark' (as in Noah's ark).
'h'+'ark'='HARK'

(Other definitions for hark that I've seen before include "Hear" , "Listen as in olden days" , "Listen (exclamation)" .)

I've seen this clue in The Mirror.
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