Give (out) sparingly (4)
I believe the answer is:
dole
'give out sparingly' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for dole that I've seen before include "Informal word for unemployment assistance" , "Kansas senator and 1996 presidential candidate, Bob" , "State benefit (colloq.)" , "Dish (out sparingly)" , "Money received from the state while unemployed" .)