The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word STYE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
S
T
Y
E
More clues leading to the result STYE
- Viewer's sore as regularly sat by set?
- Letters confiscated by provost yesterday — sore point?
- Eyelid problem, sore, that you experienced initially
- Part of Dynasty elicits viewer’s complaint
- A little hasty exposing swelling
- A swelling fashion lacks line
- Inflammatory complaint on The Observer’s cover
- Inflammation contracted last year
- Eyesore? What some animals live in, we're told
- A little misty-eyed … because of this?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "swelling" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case swelling = stye.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.
What does STYE mean?
STYE noun- A bacterial infection in the eyelash or eyelid.
- A ladder.
- An inflammation of the eyelid.