Hope elephant has thick skin (4)
I believe the answer is:
peel
'thick skin' is the definition.
'peel' can be an answer for 'skin' (synonyms). I am not certain of the 'thick' bit.
'hope elephant has' is the wordplay.
'has' indicates a hidden word.
'PEEL' is hidden in the letters of 'hope elephant'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for peel that I've seen before include "A PM; a fortified tower" , "Lemon skin" , "Strip the skin off" , "Remove the rind" , "old prime minister" .)