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Venetian merchant who was in debt for a pound (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

antonio

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

'venetian merchant' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)

'was in debt for a pound' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'for' could be 'to' (eg both can mean 'in the opinion of') and 'to' is found in the answer.
'a' could be 'an' and 'an' is located in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

'who' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for antonio that I've seen before include "merchant threatened by weight loss" , "One contracted for a pound" , "sea captain in Twelfth Night" , "Portia's client" , "Shakespearean merchant" .)

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