Crossword Genius

Sound man who is sincere (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

earnest

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'is sincere' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'sound man' is the wordplay.
'sound' becomes 'ear' (I've seen this in other clues).
'man' becomes 'nest' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'ear'+'nest'='EARNEST'

'who' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for earnest that I've seen before include "Sincere; enthusiastic" , "Serious - advance" , "Fervent - down payment" , "Intensely serious; token" , "Pledge - far from frivolous" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Independent.
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