Crossword Genius

On the contrary, outsiders stay out and play with them (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

toys

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'on the contrary outsiders stay out' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.

'play with them' is the wordplay.
'play' becomes 'toy' (synonyms).
'with' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'them' becomes 's' (I can't explain this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'toy'+'s'='TOYS'

'and' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for toys that I've seen before include "Fiddles" , "Sports" , "Amusing items" , "Plays (with something), not seriously" , "Film" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.
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