Father, at home, is irksome (4)

I believe the answer is:

pain

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

'home is irksome' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.

'father at' is the wordplay.
'father' becomes 'pa' (pa can mean dad or father).
'at' becomes 'in'.
'pa'+'in'='PAIN'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for pain that I've seen before include "Physical hurt" , "Physical discomfort" , "Sensation of acute discomfort" , "Hurt feeling" , "Unpleasant sensation" .)

I've seen this clue in The Mirror.

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