The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 3 letter word DIP
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
D
I
P
More clues leading to the result DIP
- Pickpocket to go down briefly
- Relish swim
- Impertinence masked at the outset by daughter's sauce
- Police officer parking in hollow
- Go down quietly β I had returned
- Decline swim
- Pickpocket paid back missing note
- . Initially prefers interpretive dance over salsa, say
- Sink or swim
- I would take back pawn with pawn β¦
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Pickpocket" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case pickpocket = dip.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 DIP mean?
DIP noun- A lower section of a road or geological feature.
- Inclination downward; direction below a horizontal line; slope; pitch.
- The action of dipping or plunging for a moment into a liquid.
- A tank or trough where cattle or sheep are immersed in chemicals to kill parasites.
- A dip stick.
- A swim, usually a short swim to refresh.
- A pickpocket.
- A sauce for dipping.
- The angle from horizontal of a planar geologic surface, such as a fault line.
- A dipped candle.
- A move in many different styles of partner dances, often performed at the end of a dance, in which the follower leans far to the side and is supported by the leader
- A gymnastic exercise on the parallel bars in which the performer, resting on his hands, lets his arms bend and his body sink until his chin is level with the bars, and then raises himself by straightening his arms.
- In the turpentine industry, the viscid exudation that is dipped out from incisions in the trees. Virgin dip is the runnings of the first year, yellow dip the runnings of subsequent years.
- A sudden drop followed by a climb, usually to avoid obstacles or as the result of getting into an airhole.
- The moist form of snuff tobacco.
- The act of missing out on seeing a sought after bird.
- To lower into a liquid.
- To immerse oneself; to become plunged in a liquid; to sink.
- (of a value or rate) To decrease slightly.
- To lower a light's beam.
- To lower (a flag), particularly a national ensign, to a partially hoisted position in order to render or to return a salute. While lowered, the flag is said to be βat the dip.β A flag being carried on a staff may be dipped by leaning it forward at an approximate angle of 45 degrees.
- To treat cattle or sheep by immersion in chemical solution.
- To use a dip stick to check oil level in an engine.
- To consume snuff by placing a pinch behind the lip or under the tongue so that the active chemical constituents of the snuff may be absorbed into the system for their narcotic effect.
- To immerse for baptism.
- To wet, as if by immersing; to moisten.
- To plunge or engage thoroughly in any affair.
- To take out, by dipping a dipper, ladle, or other receptacle, into a fluid and removing a part; often with out.
- To perform the action of plunging a dipper, ladle. etc. into a liquid or soft substance and removing a part.
- To engage as a pledge; to mortgage.
- To perform (a bow or curtsey) by inclining the body.
- To incline downward from the plane of the horizon.
- To perform a dip dance move (often phrased with the leader as the subject noun and the follower as the subject noun being dipped)
- To lower the body by bending the knees while keeping the body in an upright position, as in movement to the rhythm of music.
- To leave.
- To miss out on seeing a sought after bird.
- A foolish person.
- Initialism of device-independent pixel.
- A diplomat.