Crossword Genius

I bore everyone when speaking (3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

awl

'i bore' is the definition.
(tool for boring holes)

'everyone when speaking' is the wordplay.
'everyone' becomes 'all' (all people).
'when speaking' shows a homophone (sound like).
'all' is a homophone of 'AWL'.

(Other definitions for awl that I've seen before include "A boring thing" , "a boring person may need?" , "a boring person needs" , "Something needed for boring jobs" , "Pointed hand-tool" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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