Crossword Genius

Advance unaccompanied, so to speak (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

loan

'advance' is the definition.
(an advance is a loan)

'unaccompanied so to speak' is the wordplay.
'unaccompanied' becomes 'lone' (on one's own).
'so to speak' shows a homophone (sound like).
'lone' is a homophone of 'LOAN'.

(Other definitions for loan that I've seen before include "Money borrowed at interest" , "Cash advance" , "Overdraft" , "It's given temporarily" , "One acquired temporarily" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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.