The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word SERF
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
S
E
R
F
More clues leading to the result SERF
- Hand bound to land with flipping force on son
- Bondman, somewhat brisk when cut up
- Churl turning cheeky, rear whipped
- Somewhat refreshed, heading west he’s bound to land
- One among the lesser folk in feudal times
- One who was bound to come back in 16
- Queen in science fiction who got into bondage
- One bound to work swears regularly and loudly
- ‘Slave Queen’ depicted in science fiction
- One’s among lesser fellows
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "One bound to work" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case one bound to work = serf.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 SERF mean?
SERF noun- A partially free peasant of a low hereditary class, attached like a slave to the land owned by a feudal lord and required to perform labour, enjoying minimal legal or customary rights
- A similar agricultural labourer in 18th and 19th century Europe
- (strategy games) a worker unit