Awful leading couple axed from soap opera (5)

I believe the answer is:

nasty

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'awful' is the definition.
('nasty' can be similar in meaning to 'awful')

I don't understand the remainder of the clue.

(Other definitions for nasty that I've seen before include "Foul" , "grave" , "Beastly" , "Awful" , "Disagreeable" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.

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