Duck leaves lake (4)

I believe the answer is:

teal

'duck' is the definition.
(teal is a kind of duck)

'leaves lake' is the wordplay.
'leaves' becomes 'tea' (I've seen this before).
'lake' becomes 'l'.
'tea'+'l'='TEAL'

(Other definitions for teal that I've seen before include "Small river duck" , "Dark greenish-blue colour" , "Small, short-necked duck" , "Duck - dark greenish-blue" , "Variety of duck" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times, The Telegraph, The Guardian and The Globe and Mail.

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.