Crossword Genius

Had maiden caught in cold shower some offensive words? (4,4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

hate mail

'some offensive words?' is the definition.

'had maiden caught in cold shower' is the wordplay.
'had' becomes 'ate' (e.g. I had an ice cream).
'maiden' becomes 'm' (cricket abbreviation).
'caught in' is an insertion indicator.
'cold shower' becomes 'hail' (I've seen this before).
'ate'+'m'='atem'
'atem' inserted within 'hail' is 'HATE MAIL'.

(Other definitions for hate mail that I've seen before include "Poison pen letters" , "Nasty letters" , "Abusive messages" , "Poison-pen letters" , "Offensive correspondence" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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