Crossword Genius

Shopkeepers hope to make it once more (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

again

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

'once more' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'shopkeepers hope to make it' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'make' could be 'gain' (synonyms) and 'gain' is present in the answer.
A single letter 'a' remains 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 again that I've seen before include "Here we go ___" , "One more time, encore" , "Next time" , "Moreover - a second time" , "Furthermore" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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