Crossword Genius

Sleep as criminal goes by (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

elapses

'goes by' is the definition.
('elapse' can be a synonym of 'go by')

'sleep as criminal' is the wordplay.
'criminal' indicates an anagram.
'sleep'+'as'='sleepas'
'sleepas' is an anagram of 'ELAPSES'.

(Other definitions for elapses that I've seen before include "Slips away" , "Passes (in time)" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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