Crossword Genius

Preliminary round (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

heat

'preliminary round' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

This is the entire clue.

(Other definitions for heat that I've seen before include "Hotness" , "Toast" , "Level of spice" , "brings out a sweat?" , "Apply warmth" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent and the Wall Street Journal.
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