Three shot out of the way (4)

I believe the answer is:

trey

'three' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'shot out of the way' is the wordplay.
'shot' becomes 'try' (both can mean an attempt).
'out of' indicates putting letters inside (some letters on the outside of others).
'the way' becomes 'e' (Compass direction - East).
'try' placed around 'e' is 'TREY'.

(Another definition for trey that I've seen is " Three in cards".)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app