Crossword Genius

Interior of pub shown with hesitation (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

inner

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'interior' is the definition.
(I know that interior can be written as inner)

'pub shown with hesitation' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'pub' could be 'inn' (an inn is a type of pub) and 'inn' is present in the answer.
'hesitation' could be 'er' (sound made while hesitating - um, er) and 'er' is found in the answer.
No letters remain.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'of' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for inner that I've seen before include "Close to the centre; mental" , "may not satisfy this man" , "Very private room" , "Not quite bull's-eye" , "Situated within" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.
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