Crossword Genius

Duck taken by each female thief (3,4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

tea leaf

'thief' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'duck taken by each female' is the wordplay.
'duck' becomes 'teal' (teal is a type of duck).
'taken by' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'each' becomes 'ea' (abbreviation).
'female' becomes 'f' (abbreviation).
'teal'+'ea'+'f'='TEA-LEAF'

(Other definitions for tea leaf that I've seen before include "Light-fingered East Ender" , "Darjeeling?" , "Beat; sell" , "Cockney crook" , "One taking" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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.