On, past the Spanish, then drive back (5)

I believe the answer is:

repel

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

'drive back' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'on past the spanish' is the wordplay.
'on' becomes 're' (regarding).
'past' becomes 'p' (this might be a standard abbreviation which I don't know about).
'the spanish' becomes 'el' ('the' in Spanish).
're'+'p'+'el'='REPEL'

'then' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for repel that I've seen before include "push off" , "Drive or force back" , "Drive away like leper" , "'Drive back, repulse (5)'" , "Drive back - revolt" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.