The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 3 letter word EAT
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
E
A
T
More clues leading to the result EAT
- Dine on steak, say, but not medium
- Have lunch with tenants occasionally
- Consume case of aquavit after end of marriage
- Consume beef, say, having disposed of starter
- Piece of furniture, a table put away
- Devour ham, say, heading off
- Scoff as leader eliminated from qualifier
- Devour pork for instance without starter
- Going topless, flesh to put away?
- Consume something vegetarians avoid first off
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Take in" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case take in = eat.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 EAT mean?
EAT noun- Something to be eaten; a meal; a food item.
- To ingest; to be ingested.
- To use up.
- To cause (someone) to worry.
- To take the loss in a transaction.
- To be injured or killed by (something such as a firearm or its projectile), especially in the mouth.
- To corrode or erode.
- To perform oral sex (on a person or body part).