Crossword Genius

Missed the mark sending English reverend to East Germany (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

erred

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

'missed the mark' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)

'sending english reverend to east germany' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'english' could be 'e' (abbreviation as in OED) and 'e' is located in the answer.
'east' could be 'e' (abbreviation) and 'e' is found in the answer.
'germany' could be 'd' (vehicle registration code for Deutschland) and 'd' is found within the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for erred that I've seen before include "Made mistake, was incorrect" , "Was mistaken" , "Made mistakes" , "Went wrong" , "Made a mistake, was wrong" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.
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