Crossword Genius

A turn confused a friend as expected (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

naturally

'as expected' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'a turn confused a friend' is the wordplay.
'confused' indicates an anagram.
'a friend' becomes 'ally' (an ally is a friend or supporter).
'a'+'turn'='aturn'
'aturn' with letters rearranged gives 'natur'.
'natur'+'ally'='NATURALLY'

(Other definitions for naturally that I've seen before include "as you might expect" , "In an artless way" , "Without artificial help" , "it goes without saying" , "as anticipated" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.