Crossword Genius

Ring us up right before the bout (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

surround

'ring' is the definition.
('surround' can be a synonym of 'ring')

'us up right before the bout' is the wordplay.
'up' says the letters should be written backwards (in down clue: letters go upwards).
'right' becomes 'r' (common abbreviation).
'before' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'the bout' becomes 'round' ('round' can be a synonym of 'bout'**).
'us' reversed gives 'su'.
'su'+'r'+'round'='SURROUND'

(Other definitions for surround that I've seen before include "Ring" , "Encircle, fence in" , "Encompass" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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