Crossword Genius

Feel very hot water up north? (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

burn

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'feel' is the definition.
(I know this)

'very hot water up north?' is the wordplay.
'very hot water' becomes 'rub' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'up' says the letters should be written backwards (in down clue: letters go upwards).
'north?' becomes 'N' (abbreviation).
'rub' written backwards gives 'bur'.
'bur'+'n'='BURN'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for burn that I've seen before include "Use as fuel" , "pain during exercise" , "running water" , "Use heat < in attempt to eliminate" , "Smart" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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