Cryptic crossword clue
Pull up in pain when learning the hard way 8

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

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
S
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T
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "learning the hard way" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case learning the hard way = swotting.
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 SWOTTING mean?

SWOTTING verb
  1. To study with effort or determination (object of study indicated by "up on").

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