To be, for instance, a bit of a lover boy (4)
I believe the answer is:
verb
'to be for instance a bit' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.
'of a lover boy' is the wordplay.
'of' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue.
'VERB' is hidden in the letters of 'lover boy'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for verb that I've seen before include "'In grammar, it denotes action (4)'" , "Word such as run, make, or do" , "Word that denotes an action or a state" , "love, for example" , "Maybe protest" .)