Crossword Genius

Servant receiving a payment in background (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

parentage

'background' is the definition.
(parentage is part of someone's background)

'servant receiving a payment' is the wordplay.
'servant' becomes 'page' (a royal servant).
'receiving' indicates putting letters inside.
'payment' becomes 'rent' (rent is a kind of payment).
'a'+'rent'='arent'
'page' enclosing 'arent' is 'PARENTAGE'.

'in' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for parentage that I've seen before include "Ancestors" , "child-minders" , "results from birth" , "Extraction, descent" , "Ancestry" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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