Told small joke (4)
I believe the answer is:
spun
'told' is the definition.
('spin' can be a synonym of 'tell')
'small joke' is the wordplay.
'small' becomes 's' (abbreviation - e.g. clothes size).
'joke' becomes 'pun' (punning is a kind of joking**).
's'+'pun'='SPUN'
(Other definitions for spun that I've seen before include "Turned round quickly" , "Drawn out and twisted (like yarn)" , "treated by doctors?" , "Rapidly rotated" , "As yarn or silk may be" .)