Crossword Genius

The chap appears after analgesic gutted pain (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

ache

'pain' is the definition.
(ache is a kind of pain)

'the chap appears after analgesic gutted' is the wordplay.
'the chap' becomes 'he' (**).
'appears after' says to put letters next to each other.
'gutted' means to remove the middle letters (to gut something is to remove its insides).
'analgesic' with its centre taken out is 'ac'.
'he' after 'ac' is 'ACHE'.

(Other definitions for ache that I've seen before include "Dull throbbing pain" , "Feel sore" , "Longing" , "Suffer dull pain" , "suffering" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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.