Blue essay about love (4)
I believe the answer is:
tory
'blue' is the definition.
(I've seen this in other clues)
'essay about love' is the wordplay.
'essay' becomes 'try' (synonyms).
'about' is an insertion indicator.
'love' becomes 'o' (love means zero in tennis).
'try' going around 'o' is 'TORY'.
(Other definitions for tory that I've seen before include "A British Conservative" , "blue" , "type on right? Yes" , "Politician; tyro (anag.)" , "Opponent of 8 Down and 14 Across, partner of 14 Down?" .)