Criticise renovated pub with surprise attack (7)
I believe the answer is:
upbraid
'criticise' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both to do with communicating as well as being verbs in their base form.
Maybe there's a link between them I don't understand?
'renovated pub with surprise attack' is the wordplay.
'renovated' indicates an anagram.
'with' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'surprise attack' becomes 'raid' (I've seen this before).
'pub' anagrammed gives 'upb'.
'upb'+'raid'='UPBRAID'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for upbraid that I've seen before include "Rebuke, scold severely" , "Criticise or scold" , "Reprove" , "Scold over arid pub" , "Chastise" .)