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A nice clue on the Facebook crossword group page :
Please remove leader, OK ? (6)

For me (assuming I've got the right answer), that clue needs some form of punctuation between 'Please' and 'remove' to make it fair. I'd prefer 'Please bar leader, OK?' or 'Please save leader, OK?'.

Not sure I get what you mean. The solution is reached by removing the first letter of { synonym for please } giving you the def ( OK )

Though it would work equally well with, say, a comma between the first two words

My criticism of the clue is that there is not enough information, in that you have to modify an unknown word (a synonym) in order to come up with a solution

But setters these days seem to use this device quite often . . even to the point of requiring an anagram of a modification of an unknown word

Too complex for me . .

Hi Hannah,
I think modifying a synonym of a known word is valid.
If the clue read
"this particular synonym of please" remove leader, OK?....or words to that effect
it would be seen as too obvious.

As far as indirect anagrams go, however, many setters agree with you.

MalcolmXword - the problem is that in the wordplay 'remove' is an imperative to the solver, with 'remove leader' equating to 'remove the first letter'. No-one would say "Dustbin remove lid" when they meant "Take the lid off the dustbin", so why should "Please remove leader" be taken to mean "Remove the first letter from 'gratify'"?

Well, if you're doing a cryptic crossword ( or in this case solving a cryptic clue ) I would think you'd be looking out for such devices