Crossword Genius

Maybe autocue not working -- unable to talk (10)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

speechless

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

'maybe autocue' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.

'not working unable to talk' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'not' could be 'less' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'less' is located in the answer.
'talk' could be 'speech' (I've seen this before) and 'speech' is found in the answer.
This accounts for all the letters.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for speechless that I've seen before include "being forced to improvise?" , "Lost for words" , "In shock" , "Dumbfounded" , "Dumbstruck" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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