Crossword Genius

Irritating and spiteful — not British (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

itchy

'irritating' is the definition.
(an itch is irritating)

'spiteful not british' is the wordplay.
'spiteful' becomes 'bitchy' (informal term).
'not' is a deletion indicator.
'british' becomes 'b' (abbreviation e.g. in 'BBC').
'bitchy' with 'b' taken out is 'ITCHY'.

'and' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for itchy that I've seen before include "Tingling - desirous" , "Like the feet of the restless" , "Making one want to scratch" , "Affected by skin irritation" , "Fidgety" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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