... and discovers her aunt's in a mess (8)

I believe the answer is:

unearths

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

'and discovers' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.

'her aunt's in a mess' is the wordplay.
'in a mess' indicates anagramming the letters.
'her'+'aunts'='heraunts'
'heraunts' is an anagram of 'UNEARTHS'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for unearths that I've seen before include "Expels from burrow" , "Excavates" , "Finds by digging" , "Sun-hater (anag.)" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.

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