21 across
Surreptitiously
deleting
note
would
not
be
cricket?
Actually
it
would
(2,6)
Surreptitiously deleting note would not be cricket? Actually it would (2,6)
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The definition is at the beginning of the clue.
How the clue works
The definition is Surreptitiously, which gives you IN SECRET. The rest is a cheeky bit of self-reference: take the answer and delete the note RE from it, and you're left with INSECT. A cricket is an insect, so deleting the note leaves you with something that really would be a cricket, hence the "actually it would".