Hunted (through)

RIFLED

Think of searching quickly through something, like pages or drawers, often leaving things out of place.

Hunted (through)" plays on the word "rifled" by splitting it into two meanings. "Rifled" can mean searched through (like rifling through a drawer), which ties to "hunted," while "rifled" also describes the spiral grooves inside a gun barrel—hinted at by "through." The clue cleverly blends the verb and the technical term into one answer.