The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 3 letter word MAO
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
M
A
O
More clues leading to the result MAO
- Chairman, on agonising march, heads northward
- Order set up to imprison a Communist leader
- Minutes accepted at the start by old chairman
- Church no longer involved with conspicuously virile chairman
- Meadow regularly cut for old chairman
- Author of little read book, so to speak
- Revolutionary order intercepted by a Communist leader
- Way of working restricting a chairman
- Sort of coat make worn by leader in Jinan?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Communist leader" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case communist leader = mao.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 MAO mean?
MAO noun- The ma'oma'o, Gymnomyza samoensis, a large passerine bird native to Samoa.