Enquires when journalist catches king (5)
I believe the answer is:
asked
'enquires when journalist catches king' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.
'when journalist catches king' is the wordplay.
'when' becomes 'as' (eg 'when I walked' means 'as I walked').
'journalist' becomes 'ed' (short for editor).
'catches' indicates putting letters inside.
'king' becomes 'K' (abbreviation for king in chess).
'as'+'ed'='ased'
'ased' enclosing 'k' is 'ASKED'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for asked that I've seen before include "Inquired" , "Enquired; invited" , "Put a question to" , "Questioned" , "Demanded" .)