The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word LISP
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
L
I
S
P
More clues leading to the result LISP
- What makes breeze breathe?
- Utter myth from schoolma’am?
- . . . . and another, making you sound “’stupid” not “unwell”!
- Starts to look into speech problem
- Problem with speech — lecturer initially is certainly not loud
- Defect in communication on Titanic resulting in thinking the unthinkable
- Leads to limitation in speech, perhaps?
- Speech defect getting mouth around sibilant
- Malformed sound is evident in recording
- It makes a pass into a path
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Impediment to communication" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case impediment to communication = lisp.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 LISP mean?
LISP noun- The habit or an act of lisping.
- To pronounce the consonant ‘s’ imperfectly; to give ‘s’ and ‘z’ the sounds of ‘th’ (/θ/). This is a speech impediment common among children.
- To speak with imperfect articulation; to mispronounce, such as a child learning to talk.
- To speak hesitatingly and with a low voice, as if afraid.
- To express by the use of simple, childlike language.
- To speak with reserve or concealment; to utter timidly or confidentially.