Crossword Genius

A team for fat cats - novel, actually (2,1,6,2,4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

as a matter of fact

'actually' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'a team for fat cats novel' is the wordplay.
'novel' is an anagram indicator (letters in a new or novel order).
'team'+'for'+'fat'+'cats'='teamforfatcats'
'teamforfatcats' anagrammed gives 'samatteroffact'.
'a'+'samatteroffact'='AS A MATTER OF FACT'

(Other definitions for as a matter of fact that I've seen before include "Actually" , "in reality" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.
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