Cryptic crossword clue
Old man seen around English court, Democrat, is one for the axe 4,4

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 plus 4 letter word DEAD WOOD

I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
D
E
A
D
W
O
O
D

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "one for the axe" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case one for the axe = dead wood.
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.

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