Crossword Genius

Promises certain to be kept by a fool (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

assures

'promises' is the definition.
('assure' can be a synonym of 'promise')

'certain to be kept by a fool' is the wordplay.
'certain' becomes 'sure' (synonyms).
'to be kept by' is an insertion indicator.
'a fool' becomes 'ass' (both can mean a stupid person).
'sure' going inside 'ass' is 'ASSURES'.

(Other definitions for assures that I've seen before include "guarantees" , "Gives confidence or covers with a policy" , "Informs with certainty and confidence" , "States positively and confidently" , "Tells to dispel any doubts" .)

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