Crossword Genius

Nobleman ranged freely over the East (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

grandee

'nobleman' is the definition.
(I know that Grandee is a type of nobleman)

'ranged freely over the east' is the wordplay.
'freely' is an anagram indicator.
'over' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other) (in a down clue, some letters go over others).
'the east' becomes 'e' (abbreviation).
'ranged' anagrammed gives 'grande'.
'grande'+'e'='GRANDEE'

(Other definitions for grandee that I've seen before include "Angered over Spanish noble" , "Eminent man" , "One of high rank" , "European lord" , "VIP" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Independent.
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