Crossword Genius

Dander raised, wanted to strangle learner driver (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

needled

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'dander raised' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.

'wanted to strangle learner driver' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'learner' could be 'l' (as in a learner driver with L-plates on their car) and 'l' is located in the answer.
'wanted' could be 'needed' (needing is a kind of wanting) and 'needed' is found within the leftover letters.
No letters remain.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for needled that I've seen before include "bugged" , "was annoying" , "Provoked with sewing implement" , "Annoyed - provoked" , "Piqued" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.