Crossword Genius

Tough sort, and hurt badly (7)

Ross

I think it could be either:

Which length description are you looking for?:

7

4,3

hardnut

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'hurt badly' is the definition.
I don't know anything about this answer so I can't judge whether this works.

'tough sort and' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'tough' could be 'hard' (associated in meaning) and 'hard' is found within the answer.
'and' could be 'n' (common abbreviation for 'and') and 'n' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'ut' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

I've seen this clue in The Sun.
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