Maybe stone wife shed to reveal figure? (5)

I believe the answer is:

eight

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'figure?' is the definition.
(I know that eight is a type of digit)

I cannot understand how the remainder of the clue works.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for eight that I've seen before include "One over it and you were drunk, it was said" , "Number (with pieces?)" , "Number for rowers" , "Number (of oarsmen?)" , "Pints in gallon" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent and The Sun.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.