The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 3 plus 4 letter word TEA LEAF
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
T
E
A
L
E
A
F
More clues leading to the result TEA LEAF
- Individual pinching something from the pot?
- Cockney crook cooked a fat eel
- One that might be brewing or poaching?
- London criminal, one going to pot
- One pinching duck starters in exotic Angolan foodery
- Cockney villain that goes into the bag
- Tiny thing bagged for a nicker?
- Drink with a female, chasing almost ten nicker
- Bird, a female, full of energy — magpie in London’s East End?
- A bit of a brew? One tries to avoid stir
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "One pinching" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case one pinching = tea leaf.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 TEA LEAF mean?
TEA LEAF noun- (usually used in the plural) A dried fragment of a leaf of the tea plant used in making the drink tea.
- A thief.