Crossword Genius

Shock all but transfixed writer (11)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

shakespeare

'writer' is the definition.
(I know that Shakespeare occupation writer)

'shock all but transfixed' is the wordplay.
'shock' becomes 'shake' (shake can mean to shock or affect greatly).
'all but' means to remove the last letter ('all but' can mean 'almost' or 'nearly').
'transfixed' becomes 'speared' (spearing is a kind of transfixing).
'speared' with its last letter taken away is 'speare'.
'shake'+'speare'='SHAKESPEARE'

(Other definitions for shakespeare that I've seen before include "English playwright" , "The Bard of Avon" , "No 1 poet" , "See 12" , "The Swan of Avon" .)

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