The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word ROSIE
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
R
O
S
I
E
More clues leading to the result ROSIE
- Char is overhead fitting one inside shelter
- Girl got up around one
- She suggests tea…or perhaps cider
- Supper of cider/tea, with/ without Lee?
- Lee’s partner for cider or tea
- Girl got up about one
- Laurie’s girl discovered crook
- Stood up, embraced one girl
- Rather sore about catching one girl
- Girl's nickname came up, grabbing interest
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Lee’s partner" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case lee’s partner = rosie.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.