The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word MAIM
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
M
A
I
M
More clues leading to the result MAIM
- Within minutes, trunk road's put out of action
- Lame adult on island
- Maiden with intention to cause wound
- Old lady one’s put out of action
- Heartless saying brings hurt
- Inflict severe hurt on some in trauma immeasurably
- Spoil match’s beginning and end
- Seriously damage spy’s chief objective
- The old lady one’s hurt
- Disable a clever computer program within a couple of minutes
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Lame" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case lame = maim.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 MAIM mean?
MAIM noun- A serious wound
- To wound seriously; to cause permanent loss of function of a limb or part of the body.