Crossword Genius

Annoyed about article, became abusive (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

railed

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

'abusive' is the definition.
The answer and definition are different parts of speech. However, adjectives and past participle verbs can occasionally define each other.

'annoyed about article' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'about' could be 'a' (abbreviation in Chambers) and 'a' is found in the answer.
'annoyed' could be 'riled' ('rile' can be a synonym of 'annoy') and 'riled' is present in the leftover letters.
This accounts for all the letters.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

'became' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for railed that I've seen before include "Scolded, ranted" , "Complained or protested strongly" , "Complained bitterly - with a guard" , "Protested strongly, being barred" , "Complained loudly,being barred" .)

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