The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word TARN
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
T
A
R
N
More clues leading to the result TARN
- Mormon's end beside salt lake
- High water that runs unevenly
- High water that runs in odd places
- Body of water cheers navy
- Strike-breaker up north finds mountain lake
- Sailor joins navy in body of water
- High water cheers sailors
- One sailing before noon in lake
- Lake given name by sailor
- Sailor close to mountain lake …
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "body of water" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case body of water = tarn.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 TARN mean?
TARN noun- A small mountain lake, especially in Northern England.
- (chiefly Montana) One of many small mountain lakes or ponds.