Crossword Genius

Appearance of people informally mentioned (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

guise

'appearance' is the definition.
(guise is a kind of appearance)

'people informally mentioned' is the wordplay.
'people informally' becomes 'guys'.
'mentioned' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue.
'guys' is a homophone of 'GUISE'.

'of' is the link.

(Other definitions for guise that I've seen before include "Shape; pretence" , "Mask" , "Show" , "Demeanour" , "Appearance, semblance" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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.