Crossword Genius

Puffed up as two ill men with openings gone (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

swollen

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'puffed' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'up as two ill men with openings gone' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'with' could be 'w' (abbreviation) and 'w' is found within the answer.
'as' could be 'so' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'so' is present in the remaining letters.
This may be the basis of clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for swollen that I've seen before include "Puffed up" , "Enlarged" , "Abnormally expanded" , "Tumescent" , "Sell now (anag)" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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