Coat left next to court (4)
I believe the answer is:
wool
'coat' is the definition.
(wool is a kind of coat)
'left next to court' is the wordplay.
'left' becomes 'L' (common abbreviation).
'next to' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'court' becomes 'woo' (both can mean to romance someone).
'l' after 'woo' is 'WOOL'.
(Other definitions for wool that I've seen before include "Ovine product" , "Sheep's fleece" , "Sheep's coat" , "Sheep's clothing" , "Where the Lord Chancellor sits" .)