Crossword Genius

Thought son cut speed round the bend (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

suspected

'thought' is the definition.
(suspecting is a kind of thinking)

'son cut speed round the bend' is the wordplay.
'son' becomes 's'.
'round the bend' indicates an anagram.
'cut'+'speed'='cutspeed'
'cutspeed' with letters rearranged gives 'uspected'.
's'+'uspected'='SUSPECTED'

(Other definitions for suspected that I've seen before include "Imagined to be true" , "Fancied" , "mistrusted" , "Believed to be guilty but without proof" , "Believed (someone) guilty" .)

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.