Crossword Genius

Weapon on fire, launched in fight (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

stiletto

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'weapon on fire' is the definition.
'stiletto' can be an answer for 'weapon' (stiletto is a kind of weapon). I'm not sure about the 'on fire' bit.

'launched in fight' is the wordplay.
'launched' becomes 'til' (I can't justify this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'in' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'fight' becomes 'setto' (set-to is a kind of fight).
'til' put inside 'setto' is 'STILETTO'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for stiletto that I've seen before include "One may have a stab" , "Item of footwear" , "Type of shoe" , "Thin blade" , "A short knife, dagger or heel" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.