Crossword Genius

Worsen cute tail on horse in avatar design (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

aggravate

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

'worsen' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'cute tail on horse in avatar design' is the wordplay.
'cute tail' becomes 'e' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'on' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'horse' becomes 'gg' (geegee or GG is a childish term for a horse).
'in' is an insertion indicator.
'design' indicates anagramming the letters.
'avatar' anagrammed gives 'aravat'.
'gg' placed within 'aravat' is 'aggravat'.
'e' put after 'aggravat' is 'AGGRAVATE'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for aggravate that I've seen before include "Pester" , "compound" , "Exasperate or exacerbate" , "Annoy; make worse" , "Make (a problem) worse" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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.