Insect or speckled hen? (8)
I believe the answer is:
ladybird
'insect' is the definition.
(ladybird is a kind of insect)
'speckled hen?' is the wordplay.
'speckled' becomes 'lady' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'hen?' becomes 'bird' (hen is a kind of bird).
'lady'+'bird'='LADYBIRD'
'or' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for ladybird that I've seen before include "Small round spotted beetle" , "Common insect" , "Beetle spotted by black" , "Spotted creature" , "Small flying beetle, red with black spots" .)