Crossword Genius

Dog beginning to twitch and be ill (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

tail

'dog' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'beginning to twitch and be ill' is the wordplay.
'beginning to' indicates taking the first letters.
'and' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'be ill' becomes 'ail' (synonyms).
The initial letter of 'twitch' is 't'.
't'+'ail'='TAIL'

(Other definitions for tail that I've seen before include "Elongated appendage of an animal" , "Rump" , "Elongated posterior part of an animal" , "part of coat" , "Follow closely - taper (off)" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.