Crossword Genius

Place in legal document being held back (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

delayed

'held back' is the definition.
(delaying is a kind of holding back)

'place in legal document' is the wordplay.
'place' becomes 'lay' (synonyms).
'in' is an insertion indicator.
'legal document' becomes 'deed' (deed is a kind of legal document).
'lay' going inside 'deed' is 'DELAYED'.

'being' is the link.

(Other definitions for delayed that I've seen before include "Protracted" , "Caused to be held up" , "Deferred, postponed" , "Made late" , "Shelved" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.