Cryptic crossword clue
Horse in literature in contortions through pain 8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word WRITHING

I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "in contortions through pain" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case in contortions through pain = writhing.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does WRITHING mean?

WRITHING verb
  1. To twist, to wring (something).
  2. To contort (a part of the body).
  3. To twist or contort the body; to be distorted.
  4. To extort.
WRITHING noun
  1. A twisting struggle.
WRITHING adjective
  1. Bended in twisting struggle.

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