Earnest appeal (4)

I believe the answer is:

plea

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

This is all the clue.

(Other definitions for plea that I've seen before include "Excuse - pretext" , "Defence - excuse - appeal" , "Request for mercy?" , "Answer made by the accused to the charge" , "Excuse, entreaty" .)

I've seen this clue in the Newsday.com, The Telegraph, The Irish Times, the Boston Globe, the USA Today and the Irish Times (Simplex).

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