Crossword Genius

One judge could be cross (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

irate

'be cross' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'one judge' is the wordplay.
'one' becomes 'i' (Roman numeral).
'judge' becomes 'rate' (rating is a kind of judging).
'i'+'rate'='IRATE'

'could' is the link.

(Other definitions for irate that I've seen before include "Boiling" , "Magical rod" , "I tear away, being annoyed" , "having got in wax" , "Annoyed, irritated" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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