Crossword Genius

Complain having lost English holdall (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

grip

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

'complain having lost english' is the wordplay.
'complain' becomes 'gripe' (griping is a kind of complaining).
'having lost' indicates named letters should be taken away.
'english' becomes 'e' (abbreviation).
'gripe' with 'e' removed is 'GRIP'.

(Other definitions for grip that I've seen before include "Hold hard" , "Clench" , "Secure" , "Grab" , "Seize interest" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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