What does the cryptic crossword clue "When speaking the writer was hard, being 20? (7)" mean?

The wordplay uses a homophone (sounds like). EYE (sounds like “I”, the writer) + WAS H The answer is EYEWASH.

When speaking the writer was hard, being 20? (7)

Guardian Cryptic #29651 | 4 Down | 2025-03-25 flower