The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word FORAGE
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
F
O
R
A
G
E
More clues leading to the result FORAGE
- A long time mostly producing fodder
- Seek food article in smithy
- Hunt over a long period
- Scavenge at great length, never finishing
- . Torment during enemy raid
- Look around for first signs of fragments of rock and stone, perhaps
- Found without a search
- Anger after Foreign Office prompts raid
- Gather opponent’s collecting scrap
- In favour of period look for food
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "raid" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case raid = forage.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 FORAGE mean?
FORAGE noun- Fodder for animals, especially cattle and horses.
- An act or instance of foraging.
- The demand for fodder etc by an army from the local population
- To search for and gather food for animals, particularly cattle and horses.
- To rampage through, gathering and destroying as one goes.
- To rummage.
- (of an animal) To seek out and eat food.