Crossword Genius

Small barrier due to be bought (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

swallowed

'bought' is the definition.
(swallowing is a kind of buying)

'small barrier due' is the wordplay.
'small' becomes 's' (abbreviation - e.g. clothes size).
'barrier' becomes 'wall' (a wall acts as a barrier).
'due' becomes 'owed' (synonyms).
's'+'wall'+'owed'='SWALLOWED'

'to be' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for swallowed that I've seen before include "Meekly accepted" , "Ingested" , "Gulped" , "believed" , "drunk maybe" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times and The Sunday Times.
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