Crossword Genius

I press on with a false or slanderous allegation (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

aspersion

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'slanderous allegation' is the definition.
'aspersion' can be an answer for 'allegation' (thesaurus). I'm unsure of the 'slanderous' bit.

'i press on with a false' is the wordplay.
'with' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'false' is an anagram indicator.
'i'+'press'+'on'+'a'='ipressona'
'ipressona' is an anagram of 'ASPERSION'.

'or' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for aspersion that I've seen before include "Attack on reputation" , "Attack on the character" , "No praises given to the act of defaming 99)" , "Cast this slur" , "Defamatory suggestion" .)

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.