Crossword Genius

Turning knocks into a pole (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

spar

'a pole' is the definition.
(I know that spar is a type of pole)

'turning knocks' is the wordplay.
'turning' shows that the letters should be reversed in order.
'knocks' becomes 'raps' ('rap' can be a synonym of 'knock').
'raps' back-to-front is 'SPAR'.

'into' is the link.

(Other definitions for spar that I've seen before include "possibly rigged" , "supporting member" , "Crystalline mineral" , "Stout pole to support rigging" , "Train at boxing; mineral" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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