Crossword Genius

Emperor Moth beginning to fly over (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

otho

'emperor' is the definition.
(Roman emperor)

'moth beginning to fly over' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'over' could be 'o' (cricket abbreviation) and 'o' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'tho' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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