Crossword Genius

Periodical suffering, lumbago's back! (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

hello

'periodical' is the definition.
(Hello is a celebrity magazine)

'suffering lumbago's back' is the wordplay.
'suffering' becomes 'hell' (hell can mean a terrible ordeal).
'back' indicates one should take the final letters (the letter at the back).
The final letter of 'lumbago' is 'o'.
'hell'+'o'='HELLO'

(Other definitions for hello that I've seen before include "Meeting greeting" , "Common greeting as on phone" , "royals dominate its pages?" , "Look at that" , "Welcome" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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.