Crossword Genius

Work with university colleague, in fact (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

actually

'in fact' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'work with university colleague' is the wordplay.
'work' becomes 'act' (synonyms).
'with' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'university' becomes 'u' (abbreviation for university).
'colleague' becomes 'ally' (I've seen this in another clue).
'act'+'u'+'ally'='ACTUALLY'

(Other definitions for actually that I've seen before include "Really existing" , "As a matter of fact" , "In reality" , "Really, in fact" , "A lay cult may be existing in fact" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.