Crossword Genius

Stroke seabird: that's an order (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

pattern

'that's an order' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'stroke seabird' is the wordplay.
'stroke' becomes 'pat' (pat can mean to stroke or touch).
'seabird' becomes 'tern' (tern is a kind of seabird).
'pat'+'tern'='PATTERN'

(Other definitions for pattern that I've seen before include "Stencil" , "Model or design from which to make clothes, say" , "A guide for making something" , "Repeated design; model" , "Sewing plan" .)

I've seen this clue in The Everyman puzzle in The Observer.
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