Crossword Genius

Slaughter in the service area (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

massacre

'slaughter' is the definition.
('massacre' can be a synonym of 'slaughter')

'the service area' is the wordplay.
'the service' becomes 'mass' (I've seen this before).
'area' becomes 'acre' (I've seen this before).
'mass'+'acre'='MASSACRE'

'in' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for massacre that I've seen before include "Wholesale slaughter" , "Destroy" , "bloody victory" , "Inflict a heavy defeat" , "Indiscriminate killing of large numbers" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail and The Telegraph.
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