Cryptic crossword clue
Task for a jester wasted effort 1,5,6

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 1 plus 4 letter word A FOOL

I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
A
F
O
O
L

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "wasted effort" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case wasted effort = a fool.
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.

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