At half time, left a note for the king (6)

I believe the answer is:

attila

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'king' is the definition.
(Attila is an example)

'at half time left a' is the wordplay.
'half' indicates taking half.
'left' becomes 'l' (common abbreviation**).
'time' with half the letters taken is 'ti'.
'at'+'ti'+'l'+'a'='ATTILA'

'note for the' acts as a link.
I am not very happy about this link. Some or all of it may be part of another bit of the clue.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for attila that I've seen before include "Hunnish ruler" , "conquered Europe" , "5th century king of the Huns who sacked Rome" , "The Scourge of God" , "Fifth century king of the Huns" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.