The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word ABED
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
A
B
E
D
More clues leading to the result ABED
- Ocean floor, where first couple aren’t lying
- A regular selection of bread in a position to rise?
- A qualified teacher, retired?
- Grampa Simpson, among others, died laid up
- Be featured in short commercial lying down?
- An educationist in retirement, possibly?
- Society girl American knocked up in the sack
- Lying president finally exposed
- A specialist in education is lying
- Adult touching up young lady gets sacked?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Lying" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case lying = abed.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 ABED mean?
ABED adverb- In bed, or on the bed; confined to bed.
- To childbed