Cryptic crossword clue
Act badly, losing lead in a board game 5

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word HALMA

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
H
A
L
M
A

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The straight part
We know that "board game" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case board game = halma.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does HALMA mean?

HALMA noun
  1. A board game invented by George Howard Monks in which the players' men jump over those in adjacent squares.
  2. In the Greek pentathlon, the long jump with weights in the hands.

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