Strikes clues: a certain number removed (4)
I believe the answer is:
hits
'strikes' is the definition.
(hit can mean to strike)
'clues a certain number removed' is the wordplay.
'clues' becomes 'hints' ('hint' can be a synonym of 'clue').
'a certain number' becomes 'n' (n can mean any number).
'removed' is a deletion indicator.
'hints' with 'n' taken out is 'HITS'.
(Other definitions for hits that I've seen before include "The sort of strikes" , "welcome in the theatre world?" , "In the 60s these were 'groovy'" , "Top pops" , "Raps - successful recordings" .)