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Realises old wives are appealing inside (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

executes

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'realises' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.

'old wives are appealing inside' is the wordplay.
'old wives' becomes 'exes' (ex-wives).
'are appealing' becomes 'cute' (I've seen this before).
'inside' indicates putting letters inside.
'exes' placed around 'cute' is 'EXECUTES'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for executes that I've seen before include "Carries out something" , "Carries out and puts to death" , "Carries out and legally kills" , "Puts (a plan) into effect" , "Carries out or inflicts capital punishment" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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