I have seven letters and am something you eat. My only anagram can help your pain. If you remove my first 2 letters I wear things down. Removing my first 3 letters is an adjective and removing my first 4 letters leaves a measure of time. What am I?

Why this works

The answer to the riddle is "sausage," and it cleverly plays with the structure and meanings of the word. First, "sausage" indeed has seven letters and is something you eat. Its only anagram, "gaseous," relates to helping alleviate pain, particularly in the context of gas relief. Now, if we remove letters: taking away the first two letters, "sa," leaves us with "usage," which means to wear things down through use. Removing the first three letters gives us "sage," an adjective that often describes wisdom or something that is wise. Finally, removing the first four letters leaves us with "age," which refers to a measure of time. Each step reveals a new layer of meaning, making this riddle a delightful puzzle!