The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word MALI
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
M
A
L
I
More clues leading to the result MALI
- Motorway circling a large West African country
- Foreign land mass? Clay's beneath it
- Well out of East African country
- Entering Belgium, a liberated country
- Frenchman greatest boxer in country
- Leaders of men are lacking in the country
- West African nation, or part of E African one
- Knocking back some tequila, Mexican country
- So leaves person from one African country for another
- Normal industry not entirely evident in African country
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "West African nation" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case west african nation = mali.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 MALI mean?
MALI noun- A member of a caste in South Asia whose traditional occupation is gardening; hence, any native gardener.
- Money, cash.