Crossword Genius

Protect one who wrongly accepts tokens of commitment? (4-5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

ring-fence

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

'one who wrongly accepts tokens of commitment?' is the definition.
I know nothing about this answer so I cannot judge whether it can be defined by this definition.

'protect' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'protect' could be 'fence' (fencing is a kind of protecting) and 'fence' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'ring' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This may be the basis of clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for ring-fence that I've seen before include "Guarantee funding" , "Allocate (funds) to one purpose" , "Protect or guarantee - with circular hedge?" , "estate security" , "Enclose with a barrier" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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.