Be a beggar in court? (5)
I believe the answer is:
plead
'beggar in court?' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are verbs in their base form, I don't see how they can define each other.
'be a' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'be' could be 'lead' (leading is a kind of being) and 'lead' is located in the answer.
A single letter 'p' remains which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for plead that I've seen before include "Supplicate" , "Implore, entreat" , "Argue (for a cause)" , "Argue (a position in court)" , "Claim; entreat" .)