Crossword Genius

One's ancestor might have been surprised to say it (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

egad

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

'one's ancestor might have been surprised' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.

'say it' is the wordplay.
'say' becomes 'eg' (both can mean 'for example').
'it' becomes 'ad' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'eg'+'ad'='EGAD'

'to' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for egad that I've seen before include "Christ" , "Oath sworn" , "Old exclamation; aged (anagram)" , "My word once" , "Archaic expression of anger, surprise, etc" .)

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