Crossword Genius

Pole went searching but was sidetracked (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

shunted

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

'sidetracked' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)

'pole went searching but' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'pole' could be 's' (abbreviation for South, as in South Pole) and 's' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'hunted' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'was' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for shunted that I've seen before include "Moved aside" , "Moved to one side" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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