Crossword Genius

Insult lawyers and bishop (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

barb

'insult' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'lawyers and bishop' is the wordplay.
'lawyers' becomes 'bar' (I've seen this before).
'and' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'bishop' becomes 'b' (abbreviation used in chess).
'bar'+'b'='BARB'

(Other definitions for barb that I've seen before include "Backward-facing part of hook" , "A thorn or a gibe" , "Point of fish-hook - gibe" , "Slight" , "Sharp point; wounding comment" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app