Cryptic crossword clue
Abrupt changes of direction upset empty vessels 1-5

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word U-TURNS

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
U
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T
U
R
N
S

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Abrupt changes of direction" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case abrupt changes of direction = u-turns.
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 U-TURNS mean?

U-TURNS noun
  1. A turn in a vehicle carried out by driving in a semicircle in order to travel in the opposite direction.
  2. A reversal of policy; a volte-face, a backflip

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