Bail set, I make a plea in court (5)
I believe the answer is:
alibi
'a plea in court' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.
'bail set i' is the wordplay.
'set' indicates an anagram (instruction to set the letters).
'bail' with letters rearranged gives 'alib'.
'alib'+'i'='ALIBI'
'make' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for alibi that I've seen before include "I bail (anag.)" , "Defence against accusation - was somewhere else" , "Cover story" , "Courtroom evidence" , "Reason often given to exculpate someone" .)