Crossword Genius

Was Queen hailed in speech? (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

reigned

'was queen' is the definition.
(reigned as a queen)

'hailed in speech?' is the wordplay.
'hailed' becomes 'rained' (as in hail raining down).
'in speech?' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue (I've seen 'in speech' mean this).
'rained' is a homophone of 'REIGNED'.

(Other definitions for reigned that I've seen before include "Held sway" , "Had sovereign power" , "Was king" , "Was monarch" , "Maintained high position" .)

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