Crossword Genius

Reprimand for a travelling animal (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

carpet

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

'reprimand' is the definition.
(carpet can informally mean to reprimand or rebuke)

'travelling animal' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'animal' could be 'pet' (pet is a kind of animal) and 'pet' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'car' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'for a' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for carpet that I've seen before include "On the ......- getting a ticking-off" , "Lay into" , "Reprimand, reprove" , "It could be flying" , "Slate" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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.