Cryptic crossword clue
Pace office worker before starting others 5

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word TEMPO

I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
T
E
M
P
O

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Pace" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case pace = tempo.
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 TEMPO mean?

TEMPO noun
  1. A frequency or rate.
  2. A move which is part of one's own plan or strategy and forces, e.g. by means of a check or attacking a piece, the opponent to make a move which is not bad but of no use for him (the player gains a tempo, the opponent loses a tempo), or equivalently a player achieves the same result in fewer moves by one approach rather than another.
  3. The timing advantage of being on lead, thus being first to initiate a strategy to develop tricks for one's side.
  4. The timing of a particular event – earlier or later than in an alternative situation (as in chess example)
  5. The number of beats per minute in a piece of music; also, an indicative term denoting approximate rate of speed in written music (examples: allegro, andante)
  6. The steady pace set by the frontmost riders.
  7. A small truck or cargo van with three or four wheels, commonly used for commercial transport and deliveries (particularly in Asian and African countries): a genericized trademark, originally associated with the manufacturer Vidal & Sohn Tempo-Werke GmbH.
  8. A rapid rate of play by the offense resulting from reducing the amount of time which elapses after one play ends and the next starts.

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