Though old, managed without a valet (4)
I believe the answer is:
aged
'though old' is the definition.
'aged' can be an answer for 'old' (similar in meaning). I'm not sure about the 'though' bit.
'managed without a valet' is the wordplay.
'without' indicates named letters should be taken away.
'a valet' becomes 'man' ('man' can be a synonym of 'valet').
'managed' with 'man' taken away is 'AGED'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for aged that I've seen before include "Long in the tooth" , "Matured like wine in wood" , "Elderly" , "Antiquated" , "way over the hill" .)