The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 letter word REFINEMENT
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
R
E
F
I
N
E
M
E
N
T
More clues leading to the result REFINEMENT
- Polish ripped apart, penalty by yours truly netted
- An improvement in culture
- Improvement in culture
- Polish soldiers face striking workers at the end of August
- Polish were fine men, though not entirely
- Polish engineers penalise workers on time
- Subtlety about beautiful chess pieces brought by tournament’s leader
- Engineers, excellent fellows needing time for tweaking
- Perfection about penalty shoot-out finally getting people involved
- Umpire in bind loses head at finish
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "An improvement/culture" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case an improvement/culture = refinement.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 REFINEMENT mean?
REFINEMENT noun- The act, or the result of refining; the removal of impurities, or a purified material
- High-class style; cultivation.
- A fine or subtle distinction.