The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word SORE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
S
O
R
E
More clues leading to the result SORE
- Scourges regularly making you ---
- Twenty, about to be dismissed, becoming resentful
- Desperate shop with tons to dispose of
- Very old affliction
- Very old 8, for instance
- Such a thumb to stick out?
- God returning to cross
- Angry when London statue’s toppled
- Vexed about following in such a manner
- Raw mineral found beneath Sweden …
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Pained" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case pained = sore.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 SORE mean?
SORE noun- An injured, infected, inflamed or diseased patch of skin.
- Grief; affliction; trouble; difficulty.
- To mutilate the legs or feet of (a horse) in order to induce a particular gait.
- Causing pain or discomfort; painfully sensitive.
- Sensitive; tender; easily pained, grieved, or vexed; very susceptible of irritation.
- Dire; distressing.
- Feeling animosity towards someone; annoyed or angered.
- Criminal; wrong; evil.
- Very, excessively, extremely (of something bad).
- Sorely.
- A group of ducks on land.
- A young hawk or falcon in its first year.
- A young buck in its fourth year.