Boy to gradually fade, but avoiding rout (4)
I believe the answer is:
pete
'boy' is the definition.
I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for pete that I've seen before include "- Doherty, Babyshambles singer" , "- Sampras, tennis star" , "-- Sampras, tennis ace" , "For his sake" , "Small 14 [PETER JONES]" .)