How do I solve 10 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31244?

Question

Accepted Answer

10 across reads "3 witches in a gathering failing at the outset" (4 letters); the answer is OVEN. It's a cryptic definition: the whole clue is a playful or punny description of the answer. No wordplay decomposition to do — read laterally and identify what's being described. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

3 witches in a gathering failing at the outset (4)

10A — 3 witches in a gathering failing at the outset (4) — OVEN