Painful blow from cat, with it left in laundry (8)
I believe the answer is:
whiplash
'painful blow from cat' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.
'with it left in laundry' is the wordplay.
'with it' becomes 'hip' (both can mean cool or fashionable).
'left' becomes 'l' (common abbreviation).
'in' is an insertion indicator.
'laundry' becomes 'wash' (synonyms).
'hip'+'l'='hipl'
'hipl' put within 'wash' is 'WHIPLASH'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for whiplash that I've seen before include "Common neck injury in car accidents" , "Stroke of punishment" , "Injury to neck caused by sudden jerk, as in car crash" , "injury - with 12a" , "Result of an accident perhaps" .)