Irritable chest in city (5)
I believe the answer is:
narky
'irritable' is the definition.
(narky can mean bad-tempered)
'chest in city' is the wordplay.
'chest' becomes 'ark' (historical term for a chest).
'in' indicates putting letters inside.
'city' becomes 'NY' (short for New York).
'ark' inserted within 'ny' is 'NARKY'.
I've seen this clue in The Times.
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