How do I solve 1 down in Times Cryptic 29147?

Question

Accepted Answer

1 down reads "Pretended to beg money from speaker" (6 letters); the answer is PSEUDO. It's a homophone clue: the answer sounds like another word. Indicators like 'reportedly', 'we hear', or 'sounds like' point to a word that's pronounced similarly to the answer. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

Pretended to beg money from speaker (6)

12 — Pretended to beg money from speaker (6) — PSEUDO