Crossword Genius

Phone old boy missing race once (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

mile

'race once' is the definition.
(historical term for a mile-long race)

'phone old boy missing' is the wordplay.
'phone' becomes 'mobile phone' (mobile phone).
'old boy' becomes 'OB' (abbreviation for a private school 'old boy').
'missing' suggests deleting specific letters.
'mobile' with 'ob' taken out is 'MILE'.

(Other definitions for mile that I've seen before include "Eight furlongs" , "'A miss is as good as a ....'" , "Stretch of road" , "Distance race" , "Imperial length" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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