Search old parts belonging to record? (8,4)
I believe the answer is:
question mark
'search old parts belonging to record?' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.
'search old parts belonging to record?' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'search' could be 'quest' (quest is a kind of search) and 'quest' is found within the answer.
'old' could be 'o' (common abbreviation eg in OE for Old English) and 'o' is found within the answer.
'record?' could be 'mark' (marking is a kind of recording) and 'mark' is located in the answer.
'belonging to' could be 'in' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'in' is present in the leftover letters.
No letters remain.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for question mark that I've seen before include "Query" , "Not believe the gospel" , "What ends this" , "Expression of uncertainty" .)