Cryptic crossword clue
Irritated seeing rat outside shopping centre 8

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

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

The straight part
We know that "Irritate/d" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case irritate/d = smarting.
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 SMARTING mean?

SMARTING verb
  1. To hurt or sting.
  2. To cause a smart or sting in.
  3. To feel a pungent pain of mind; to feel sharp pain or grief; be punished severely; to feel the sting of evil.
SMARTING noun
  1. A sensation that smarts or stings.
SMARTING adjective
  1. Painful, sore.
  2. Experiencing emotional pain or embarrassment.

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