Crossword Genius

Man follows guide dropping one — that’s how it’s schemed (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

plotted

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

'it's schemed' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'man follows guide dropping one that's' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'man' could be 'ted' (Ted is a man's name) and 'ted' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'plot' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'how' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for plotted that I've seen before include "Plant of damp areas" , "Schemed" , "was a conspirator" .)

I've seen this clue in The Hindu.
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