Crossword Genius

Composer self-referential in reflective reply (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

smetana

'composer' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'self-referential in reflective reply' is the wordplay.
'self-referential' becomes 'meta' (I've seen this in another clue).
'in' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'reflective' says the letters should be written in reverse.
'reply' becomes 'ans' (abbreviation for answer).
'ans' written backwards gives 'sna'.
'meta' inserted inside 'sna' is 'SMETANA'.

(Other definitions for smetana that I've seen before include "Composer of The Bartered Bride; eats man (anag.)" , "maker of notes" , "Czech composer, d. 1884 - Eastman (anag)" , "musician" , "Nineteenth century Czech composer (The Bartered Bride)" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app