The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word ALABAMA
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
A
L
A
B
A
M
A
More clues leading to the result ALABAMA
- Like graduate mother in US State
- In NASA lab, a mad state
- State in which a priest entertains a bishop
- A priest protecting a bishop's state
- State of sailor nursed by a Buddhist monk
- A research site followed by a scholar in US state
- Like past president to blow his top in this state
- State of a girl half-cut, having obtained two degrees
- A couple of grads touring city state
- State of a student gaining a couple of degrees
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "state" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case state = alabama.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.