Crossword Genius

Clean trousers in lake? It's a pain in the neck (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

whiplash

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

'a pain in the neck' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I can't understand how they can define each other.

'clean trousers in lake?' is the wordplay.
'clean' becomes 'wash' (washing is a kind of cleaning).
'trousers' indicates putting letters inside (to trouser can mean to steal or take).
'in' becomes 'hip' (both can mean fashionable).
'lake?' becomes 'L' (geographical abbreviation).
'hip'+'l'='hipl'
'wash' placed around 'hipl' is 'WHIPLASH'.

'it's' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for whiplash that I've seen before include "Result of an accident perhaps" , "inflicted by cat" , "Common neck injury in car accidents" , "Injury caused by a severe jerk to the head" , "Stroke of punishment" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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