Puffed out in a terrible way (4)
I believe the answer is:
blew
'puffed' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'in a terrible way' is the wordplay.
'in' says the answer is hidden in the clue.
'BLEW' is hidden within 'terrible way'.
'out' is the link.
(Other definitions for blew that I've seen before include "Sounded (a horn)" , "Breathed hard" , "Puffed and panted" , "Tooted" , "Squander in the past" .)