Would he bail out a skinhead? (5)
I believe the answer is:
basil
'would he' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I can't understand how they can define each other.
'bail out a skinhead?' is the wordplay.
'out' is an insertion indicator.
'a skinhead?' becomes 's' (head letter of 'skin').
'bail' placed around 's' is 'BASIL'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for basil that I've seen before include "Herb; man's name" , "Pesto ingredient" , "Aromatic plant used as a herb" , "Sweet-smelling herb" , "Aromatic herb in pesto" .)