Crossword Genius

Possibly weariest, so to speak (2,2,4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

as it were

'so to speak' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'possibly weariest' is the wordplay.
'possibly' indicates an anagram.
'weariest' anagrammed gives 'AS IT WERE'.

(Other definitions for as it were that I've seen before include "Seemingly" , "you may say" , "As if it was actually so" , "In a kind of way" , "So to speak" .)

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.