Crossword Genius

Many a friend may linger (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

dally

'linger' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'many a friend' is the wordplay.
'many' becomes 'd'.
'a friend' becomes 'ally' ('ally' can be a synonym of 'friend').
'd'+'ally'='DALLY'

'may' is the link.

(Other definitions for dally that I've seen before include "Dawdle - delay" , "take time" , "Move slowly" , "Procrastinate" , "Linger" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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