Possible Clues:

• Aggravation, so to speak
• Swiss play in hand. Or rather, at hand
• Distress and gravity remarkably rife
• Misery
• Trouble's good and short in the absence of the British
• Feeling of devastated figure missing out on university?
• Hassle, slangily
• Real hassle, so to speak
• Trouble close to raging fire out of control
• A dog-end set fire to, causing misery