The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word CUTE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
C
U
T
E
More clues leading to the result CUTE
- Shrewd copper taking tips from trainee
- Artist denied curate’s smart
- Divide up last of the sweet
- Endearingly pretty hair style, the last thing in coiffure
- Appealing to reduce noise at the back
- Clever? It shows dash when you do
- Attractive dock above the end of Cologne
- Pretty cold at the front of Mick Dundee’s truck
- Shrewd signal saving time
- Clever cricket shot over point
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Clever" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case clever = cute.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 CUTE mean?
CUTE adjective- Possessing physical features, behaviors, personality traits or other properties that are mainly attributed to infants and small or cuddly animals; e.g. fair, dainty, round, and soft physical features, disproportionately large eyes and head, playfulness, fragility, helplessness, curiosity or shyness, innocence, affectionate behavior.
- Generally, attractive or pleasing, especially in a youthful, dainty, quaint or fun-spirited way.
- Affected or contrived to charm; mincingly clever; precious; cutesy.
- Mentally keen or discerning (See also acute)