Crossword Genius

What dogs do to court female (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

woof

'what dogs do' is the definition.

'court female' is the wordplay.
'court' becomes 'woo' ('woo' can be a synonym of 'court').
'female' becomes 'f' (abbreviation).
'woo'+'f'='WOOF'

'to' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for woof that I've seen before include "The thread" , "Sound of dog's bark" , "Gruff bark of dog" , "Dog sound" , "Yarn" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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