Crossword Genius

Pronounced virtuous, married off (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

oral

'pronounced' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)

'virtuous married off' is the wordplay.
'virtuous' becomes 'moral' (associated in meaning).
'married' becomes 'm' (abbreviation, e.g. in genealogy).
'off' is a deletion indicator (some letters taken off).
'moral' with 'm' taken out is 'ORAL'.

(Other definitions for oral that I've seen before include "Using speech rather than writing" , "from the trap" , "'Spoken, not written (4)'" , "See 18" , "Exam using speech" .)

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