The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word TOIL
I've seen this crossword clue in The Sunday Telegraph
T
O
I
L
More clues leading to the result TOIL
- Work taking little time, slick stuff?
- Work found regularly in two mills
- Two girls regularly finding work
- Work until 1.50
- One blocking revolutionary group in Labour
- Star in Cannes barely gets work
- Labour‘s material electorate finally discarded
- Struggle over stopping it turning left
- Gin time – lubricant follows
- Work in small room — waste of energy and time
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Labour" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case labour = toil.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 TOIL mean?
TOIL noun- Labour, work, especially of a grueling nature.
- Trouble, strife.
- (usually in plural) A net or snare; any thread, web, or string spread for taking prey.
- To labour; work.
- To struggle.
- To work (something); often with out.
- To weary through excessive labour.