The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word PALE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
P
A
L
E
More clues leading to the result PALE
- After parking drink in enclosed area
- Light beer after a drop of pilsner
- Drink up Earl Grey
- Penny has beer and pasty
- Sickly-looking, call out for bucket
- Familiar eastern soft drink lacking colour
- Whiten part of fence
- How a dark horse doesn’t appear to be at stake
- Light from television system needs energy
- White stick
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "How a dark horse doesn’t appear to be/stake" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case how a dark horse doesn’t appear to be/stake = pale.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 PALE mean?
PALE noun- Paleness; pallor.
- To turn pale; to lose colour.
- To become insignificant.
- To make pale; to diminish the brightness of.
- Light in color.
- (of human skin) Having a pallor (a light color, especially due to sickness, shock, fright etc.).
- Feeble, faint.
- A wooden stake; a picket.
- Fence made from wooden stake; palisade.
- (by extension) Limits, bounds (especially before of).
- The bounds of morality, good behaviour or judgment in civilized company, in the phrase beyond the pale.
- A vertical band down the middle of a shield.
- A territory or defensive area within a specific boundary or under a given jurisdiction.
- The jurisdiction (territorial or otherwise) of an authority.
- A cheese scoop.
- A shore for bracing a timber before it is fastened.
- To enclose with pales, or as if with pales; to encircle or encompass; to fence off.