Did it survive the slaughter? (5)

I believe the answer is:

liver

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'did it survive the slaughter?' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.

'survive the slaughter?' is the wordplay.
'survive' becomes 'live' (synonyms).
'the slaughter?' becomes 'r' (I can't explain this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'live'+'r'='LIVER'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for liver that I've seen before include "One extant" , "Large gland" , "Part of body" , "Internal organ" , "Bile-secreting gland" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

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