Crossword Genius

Instigating panic, green organism spreads around clubs (14)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

scaremongering

'instigating panic' is the definition.
(I know this)

'green organism spreads around clubs' is the wordplay.
'spreads' is an anagram indicator (I've seen 'spreading' mean this).
'around' indicates putting letters inside.
'clubs' becomes 'c' (abbreviation in card games).
'green'+'organism'='greenorganism'
'greenorganism' is an anagram of 'saremongering'.
'saremongering' placed around 'c' is 'SCAREMONGERING'.

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.