Crossword Genius

Thought India deal almost complete (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

idea

'thought' is the definition.
(idea is a kind of thought)

'india deal almost complete' is the wordplay.
'india' becomes 'i' (phonetic alphabet: alpha, bravo, charlie etc.).
'almost complete' means to remove the last letter (most but not all of the word).
'deal' with its final letter taken away is 'dea'.
'i'+'dea'='IDEA'

(Other definitions for idea that I've seen before include "Creative spark" , "Brainwave" , "Mental impression" , "Plan" , "Inkling" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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