Crossword Genius

Cries of former international comprehended by reticent people (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

exclaims

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'cries' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both to do with communicating as well as being verbs in their -s form.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?

'former international comprehended by reticent people' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'former' could be 'ex' (prefix meaning former or onetime) and 'ex' is present in the answer.
'international' could be 'i' (abbreviation eg in IMF) and 'i' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'clams' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'of' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for exclaims that I've seen before include "Cries out from pain or surprise" , "Suddenly cries out" , "Cries out in climaxes" .)

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.