What does the cryptic crossword clue "Communist machinery applying short shock to traitor (7)" mean?

The definition is "Communist machinery". The wordplay uses a charade (building blocks). APPA (synonym="APPA") + RAT (synonym="traitor") = APPARAT The answer is APPARAT.

Communist machinery applying short shock to traitor (7)

Independent Cryptic #11628 | 18 Down | 2024-01-17 flower

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