Crossword Genius

Biting account run by papers (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

acrid

'biting' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'account run by papers' is the wordplay.
'account' becomes 'ac'.
'run' becomes 'r' (cricket abbreviation).
'by' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'papers' becomes 'id' (identification papers).
'ac'+'r'+'id'='ACRID'

(Other definitions for acrid that I've seen before include "Bitterly pungent" , "Unpleasantly bitter" , "Sour, pungent" , "Bitter in smell, like smoke" , "Pungent or sharp, like smoke" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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