Crossword Genius

Staff deserved getting soaked (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

macerated

'soaked' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'staff deserved getting' is the wordplay.
'staff' becomes 'mace' (mace is a kind of staff).
'deserved' becomes 'rated' ('rate' can be a synonym of 'deserve').
'getting' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'mace'+'rated'='MACERATED'

(Other definitions for macerated that I've seen before include "Wet" , "softened by soaking" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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.