The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word FLAY
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
F
L
A
Y
More clues leading to the result FLAY
- Tear into fine ballad
- 22 circling a strip
- Skin’s fine deposit
- Fiercely criticise fallacy, oddly enough
- Severely criticise loud song for beat with excessive force
- Female set to strip
- Insect on the outside of a pan
- Rush off carrying a slate
- Skin taken from disloyal follower in uprising
- Old horse-drawn vehicle carrying a whip
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Tear into" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case tear into = flay.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 FLAY mean?
FLAY noun- A fright; a scare.
- Fear; a source of fear; a formidable matter; a fearsome or repellent-looking individual.
- To cause to fly; put to flight; drive off (by frightening).
- To frighten; scare; terrify.
- To be fear-stricken.
- To strip skin off
- To lash