I'm surprised by Dave losing way being duped (3)
I believe the answer is:
had
'being duped' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'i'm surprised by dave' is the wordplay.
'i'm surprised' becomes 'ha' (I've seen this in other clues).
'by' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'dave' becomes 'd' (this could be a standard abbreviation which I don't know about).
'ha'+'d'='HAD'
'losing way' acts as a link.
This may not be right. Some or all of it may be part of another bit of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for had that I've seen before include "Was bound to be - caught" , "Possessed; cheated" , "Owned in the past" , "Did trick" , "Taken in" .)