Rebuke harshly as fish in back of truck spoils (8)
I believe the answer is:
keelhaul
'rebuke harshly as' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.
'fish in back of truck spoils' is the wordplay.
'fish' becomes 'eel' (eel is a type of fish).
'in' indicates putting letters inside.
'back of' suggests the final letters.
'spoils' becomes 'haul' (I've seen this in another clue).
The last letter of 'truck' is 'k'.
'k'+'haul'='khaul'
'eel' inserted within 'khaul' is 'KEELHAUL'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for keelhaul that I've seen before include "Rebuke severely" , "Drag a sailor under a ship, once used as a punishment" , "Carpet" , "Pull (punished sailor) under ship" .)