Second section of race? It could be painful (4)
I believe the answer is:
slap
'it could be painful' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.
'second section of race?' is the wordplay.
'second' becomes 's' (common abbreviation).
'section of race?' becomes 'lap' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
's'+'lap'='SLAP'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for slap that I've seen before include "Blow, maybe in the face" , "Mild punishment" , "Cuff" , "Strike action" , "Hit with an open hand" .)
