Thick cord official discovered (4)
I believe the answer is:
rope
'thick cord' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
I can't explain the rest of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for rope that I've seen before include "Give a man enough . . . . and he'll hang himself" , "Stranded fastener" , "String of pearls, say" , "Guy" , "murder weapon" .)