Asparagus, say, could give one a stabbing pain (5)
I believe the answer is:
spear
'asparagus say' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both to do with fundamental existence as well as being verbs in their base form.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'one a stabbing pain' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'one' could be 'a' (a thing is one thing) and 'a' is found within the answer.
'a' could be 'per' (eg 'one a day' means 'one per day') and 'per' is found in the leftover letters.
A single letter 's' remains which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
'could give' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for spear that I've seen before include "Weapon; asparagus stem" , "Lance" , "Sharp weapon" , "Primitive weapon" , "Asparagus shoot" .)