Crossword Genius

Intensify struggle over stupid person abandoning pet (4,2)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

warm up

'intensify' is the definition.

'struggle over stupid person abandoning pet' is the wordplay.
'struggle over' becomes 'war' (warring is a kind of struggling. I am not sure about the 'over' bit.).
'stupid person' becomes 'muppet'.
'abandoning' indicates named letters should be taken away.
'muppet' with 'pet' removed is 'mup'.
'war'+'mup'='WARM-UP'

(Other definitions for warm up that I've seen before include "race preparation" , "Exercise before race - reheat food - become more animated" , "Exercises needed before running" , "Rehearse" , "Prepare for" .)

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.