Crossword Genius

Slander from venomous creature, Irish (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

asperse

'slander' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'venomous creature irish' is the wordplay.
'venomous creature' becomes 'asp' (venomous snake).
'irish' becomes 'erse' (I've seen this before).
'asp'+'erse'='ASPERSE'

'from' is the link.

(Other definitions for asperse that I've seen before include "Malign" , "Accuse falsely" , "Slander, spread false rumours about - as peers may?" , "Slander like Parsees" , "Disparage" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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