Crossword Genius

Nearly everyone frequently flying (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

aloft

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

'nearly everyone frequently' is the wordplay.
'nearly' means to remove the last letter.
'everyone' becomes 'all' (all people).
'frequently' becomes 'oft' (oft can mean frequently, eg oft-quoted).
'all' with its final letter taken off is 'al'.
'al'+'oft'='ALOFT'

(Other definitions for aloft that I've seen before include "Heading for heaven" , "Up in the sky" , "To great height" , "flying?" , "in a high position" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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