Crossword Genius

Reel briefly following hoax (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

spoof

'hoax' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'reel briefly following' is the wordplay.
'reel' becomes 'spool' (synonyms).
'briefly' means to remove the last letter.
'following' becomes 'f.' (used when citing page numbers etc).
'spool' with its last letter taken away is 'spoo'.
'spoo'+'f'='SPOOF'

(Other definitions for spoof that I've seen before include "Send-up" , "Take-off" , "Parody - prank" , "Satirical imitation" , "Parody - hoaxing game" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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