Question 1

What does the cryptic crossword clue "Reportedly off colour but that's what I meant (3)" mean?

Accepted Answer

The definition is "that's what I meant". The wordplay uses a homophone (sounds like). Homophone (reportedly, though some of us wouldn’t pronounce the two words the same) of SICK = off colour = feeling unwell. A comment in printed text (Latin for “thus”), confirming that something unexpected is intentional and not a mistake. I’m not convinced by the definition, because the comment is usually added by an editor (indicating faithful reporting of an apparent error in the supplied text) rather than by the original writer or speaker. The answer is SIC.

Question 2

What is the answer to "Reportedly off colour but that's what I meant (3)"?

Accepted Answer

The answer is SIC.