The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word SWOT
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
S
W
O
T
More clues leading to the result SWOT
- Keen student's wife ensconced in boozer
- One preparing hard for test pulls over
- Pulls up studious guy
- One working too hard pulls back
- Student pulls back
- Drunkard imbibing whisky could be teacher’s pet?
- Apply oneself to doubles after change of ends
- Studious type draws when retired
- Drunk with women in study
- Pulls up teacher’s pet
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Apply oneself" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case apply oneself = swot.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 SWOT mean?
SWOT noun- One who swots.
- Work.
- Vigorous study at an educational institution.
- To study with effort or determination (object of study indicated by "up on").