Crossword Genius

Sincere answer received by Hemingway? (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

earnest

'sincere' is the definition.
('earnest' can be similar in meaning to 'sincere')

'answer received by hemingway?' is the wordplay.
'answer' becomes 'a' (abbreviation eg in Q and A).
'received by' is an insertion indicator.
'hemingway?' becomes 'ernest' ('Ernest Hemingway' can be a synonym of 'hemingway').
'a' placed within 'ernest' is 'EARNEST'.

(Other definitions for earnest that I've seen before include "Pledge - far from frivolous" , "'Serious, sincere (7)'" , "Fixed" , "art collector" , "guarantee" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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