Crossword Genius

Beat an animal in front of a holy man (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

lambast

'beat' is the definition.
(I know this)

'an animal in front of a holy man' is the wordplay.
'an animal' becomes 'lamb' (lamb is a kind of animal).
'in front of' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'holy man' becomes 'st' (abbreviation for saint).
'lamb'+'a'+'st'='LAMBAST'

(Other definitions for lambast that I've seen before include "Reprimand" , "Harshly criticise" , "rubbish" , "Be harsh critic of" , "Beat severely" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Independent.
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