Crossword Genius

Spring again and out comes the easel (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

release

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

'spring' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'again and out comes the easel' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'again' could be 're' and 're' is found in the answer.
an anagram of 'easel' is 'lease' which is located in the answer.
No letters remain.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for release that I've seen before include "Authorise publication" , "loose" , "Possibly film" , "Prisoner eagerly awaits this" , "record" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.