Crossword Genius

Unpleasant bird on the air (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

foul

'unpleasant' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'bird on the air' is the wordplay.
'bird' becomes 'fowl' (synonyms).
'on the air' shows a homophone (sound like).
'fowl' is a homophone of 'FOUL'.

(Other definitions for foul that I've seen before include "A breach of sporting rules" , "Break the rules on the pitch" , "Loathsome - tackle breaking game rules" , "Obscene" , "Putrid" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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