Crossword Genius

One holds husband in pain (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

ache

'pain' is the definition.
(ache is a kind of pain)

'one holds husband' is the wordplay.
'one' becomes 'ace' ('ace' can be a synonym of 'one').
'holds' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'husband' becomes 'h'.
'ace' placed around 'h' is 'ACHE'.

'in' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for ache that I've seen before include "anguish" , "Feel pain" , "agony" , "Cause pain" , "Throb - hurt" .)

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