Top of crocodile skin carpet (5)
I believe the answer is:
chide
'carpet' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are verbs in their base form, I cannot understand how they can define each other.
'top of crocodile skin' is the wordplay.
'top of' suggests taking the first letters.
'skin' becomes 'hide' (hide is a kind of skin).
The first letter of 'crocodile' is 'c'.
'c'+'hide'='CHIDE'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for chide that I've seen before include "Rebuke, scold" , "Censure, berate" , "Tell off" , "Seeing scold" , "Admonish" .)