The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word OBIT
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
O
B
I
T
More clues leading to the result OBIT
- Love piece that is written in one of the paper's sections
- Rule out regular course getting a passing mention
- Book collection about British India, passing comments
- Nothing was gripping in newspaper notice
- Notice of death from mosquito bite
- Funeral ceremonies over, a little food follows
- Out of bounds sex? Short notice, one just passed on it
- Observer’s first to scrap short newspaper deadlines?
- Lobbyist regularly shows little appreciation for those passed over
- After passing, notice cycle right away
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Old boy may be given it — but not while still alive" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case old boy may be given it — but not while still alive = obit.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 OBIT mean?
OBIT noun- Death of a person.
- A mass or other service held for the soul of a dead person.
- A record of a person's death.
- An obituary.