Crossword Genius

Pair of idiots batting, getting knocked back and hit (11)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

assassinate

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

'pair of idiots' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both to do with social activities as well as being verbs in their base form.
Perhaps there's a link between them I don't understand?

'batting getting knocked back and hit' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'batting' could be 'in' (as in batting or being 'in' in cricket) and 'in' is present in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for assassinate that I've seen before include "Murder (a political or religious leader)" , "Kill for political reasons" , "Dispatch" , "Kill (a VIP)" , "Kill by contract" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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.