Crossword Genius

Reports he shot an apple south (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

tells

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

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

'he shot an apple south' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'south' could be 's' (synonyms) and 's' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'tell' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for tells that I've seen before include "Counts" , "Informs, recounts" , "Narrates" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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