The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word KNELT
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
K
N
E
L
T
More clues leading to the result KNELT
- Knight drinking in hell regularly went on a bender
- Welcoming knight, Gael possibly made obeisance
- Got down time after short sound of bell
- Adopted lower position untangling anklet, releasing article
- King, left in profit, showed respect
- Thousand lent for collection again — congregation did it
- Ken, zealot, oddly got into submissive position
- Took action, genuine peaceful protest finally
- Kent freely embraces Labour leader, prepared to be knighted
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Adopted lower position" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case adopted lower position = knelt.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 KNELT mean?
KNELT verb- To rest on one's bent knees, sometimes only one; to move to such a position.
- To cause to kneel.
- To rest on (one's) knees