Crossword Genius

Unpretentiousness of style with pen (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

modesty

'unpretentiousness' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'style with pen' is the wordplay.
'style' becomes 'mode' ('mode' can be a synonym of 'style'**).
'with' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'pen' becomes 'sty' (sty is a kind of pen).
'mode'+'sty'='MODESTY'

'of' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for modesty that I've seen before include "Unassumingness" , "Quality of being unpretentious" , "lack of vanity" , "Diffidence" , "Unpretentious style" .)

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