Crossword Genius

Beast in lair pierced by tick (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

demon

'beast' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'lair pierced by tick' is the wordplay.
'lair' becomes 'den' (synonyms).
'pierced by' indicates putting letters inside (some letters pierce a hole in others).
'tick' becomes 'mo' (both can mean a very short amount of time).
'den' enclosing 'mo' is 'DEMON'.

'in' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for demon that I've seen before include "Wizard" , "Fallen angel" , "ace" , "Skilful person" , "See 3" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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