Put in a request when journalist buttonholes king (5)
I believe the answer is:
asked
'put in a' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.
'request when journalist buttonholes king' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'request' could be 'ask' ('ask' can be a synonym of 'request') and 'ask' is present in the answer.
'when' could be 'e' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'e' is found within the answer.
A single letter 'd' remains which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This may be the basis of clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for asked that I've seen before include "Demanded" , "Requested" , "Inquired" , "Made a request" , "Put a question to" .)