Crossword Genius

Wince as bird pecks trainee (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

flinch

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'wince' is the definition.
(I know that wince can be written as flinch)

'bird pecks trainee' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'trainee' could be 'l' and 'l' is located in the answer.
'bird' could be 'finch' (finch is a kind of bird) and 'finch' is found within the leftover letters.
This accounts for all the letters.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'as' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for flinch that I've seen before include "Cower, baulk" , "quail?" , "Draw back in fear, recoil" , "Start back in pain or shock" , "Draw back in shock" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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