Crossword Genius

A beating leaves a permanent impression on one (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

tattoo

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

'a beating' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'a permanent impression on one' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'on' could be 'at' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'at' is present in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

'leaves' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for tattoo that I've seen before include "Drum signal; skin mark" , "made by drumming" , "Picture dyed into the skin" , "that takes some beating?" , "Indelible mark on skin or military entertainment" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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