Crossword Genius

Punish by putting the ringleader in a shack! (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

hurt

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

'punish by' is the definition.
'hurt' can be an answer for 'punish' (thesaurus). I am not certain of the 'by' bit.

'the ringleader in a shack' is the wordplay.
'the ringleader' becomes 'r' (first letter of ring).
'in' indicates putting letters inside.
'a shack' becomes 'hut' (synonyms).
'r' placed inside 'hut' is 'HURT'.

'putting' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for hurt that I've seen before include "Cause pain to" , "Ache" , "Feel pain" , "Offend(ed)" , "Injure, harm" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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