Crossword Genius

Mingle during period before nine (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

intermix

'mingle' is the definition.
(intermixing is a kind of mingling)

'during period before nine' is the wordplay.
'during' becomes 'in' (e.g. during February means in February).
'period' becomes 'term' (term is a kind of period).
'before' says to put letters next to each other.
'nine' becomes 'IX' (roman numeral).
'in'+'term'+'ix'='INTERMIX'

(Other definitions for intermix that I've seen before include "Blend together" , "Stir" , "Mingle" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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