Unpleasant relations hurt, according to Spooner (8)
I believe the answer is:
stinking
'unpleasant' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adjectives. Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'relations hurt according to spooner' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'relations' could be 'kin' (I've seen this in another clue) and 'kin' is found in the answer.
'hurt' could be 'sting' (if something stings, it hurts) and 'sting' is present in the remaining letters.
No letters remain.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for stinking that I've seen before include "rotten!" , "obnoxious" , "Rank" , "Foul-smelling" , "smelly" .)