Go easily when putting the French out of work (4)
I believe the answer is:
lope
'go easily when' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.
'the french out of work' is the wordplay.
'the french' becomes 'le' ('the' in French).
'out of' indicates putting letters inside.
'work' becomes 'op' (common abbreviation for 'opus').
'le' enclosing 'op' is 'LOPE'.
'putting' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for lope that I've seen before include "Run with aid of pole" , "Run with long strides using pole" , "Bound along carrying pole" , "Run along easily" , "run gently" .)