Crossword Genius

Evil creature walkin' painfully without energy (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

hobgoblin

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

'walkin' painfully without energy' is the wordplay.
'walkin' painfully' becomes 'hobblin'' ('hobbling' with the g dropped as in 'walkin').
'without' indicates putting letters inside ('without' can be similar in meaning to 'outside').
'energy' becomes 'go' (go can mean energy or enthusiasm).
'hobblin' placed around 'go' is 'HOBGOBLIN'.

(Other definitions for hobgoblin that I've seen before include "Evil creature" , "A mischievous or evil spirit" , "bogey" , "Mythical mischief-maker" , "Evil fairy" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph, The Independent and The Sun.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app