Crossword Genius

Reptile to go off, briefly let out (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

turtle

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

'reptile' is the definition.
(turtle is a kind of reptile)

'go off briefly let out' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
an anagram of 'let' is 'tle' which is located in the answer.
This may be the basis of clue (or it may be nonsense).

'to' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for turtle that I've seen before include "Aquatic or terrestial reptile" , "See 7" , "Sea swimmer" , "Marine reptile of the order Chelonia" , "Shelled marine creature" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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