Crossword Genius

Once more my father went outside in great fear (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

dread

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

'great fear' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'once more my father went outside' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'once more' could be 're' (prefix in words like 're-emerge' or 're-enter') and 're' is found in the answer.
'father' could be 'da' (da can mean dad) and 'da' is found in the remaining letters.
A single letter 'd' remains which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'in' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for dread that I've seen before include "alarm" , "Terror" , "Hairstyle" , "Terrible fear" , "Be very averse to" .)

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