The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word COLONEL
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
C
O
L
O
N
E
L
More clues leading to the result COLONEL
- Mustard? You might pick up the seed
- Temple no location to hide retreating officer
- Perfume’s no good: smell at the back is rank
- Senior officer: Ewell must be evacuated
- Officer found unaccompanied in pass sounds a bit of a nut
- Army man’s isolated during depression
- Stop the Spanish officer
- Officer who called an inquest before 9
- Officer: extremely effectual …
- Officer, one taking line south of mountain pass
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Army man" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case army man = colonel.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 COLONEL mean?
COLONEL noun- A commissioned officer in an armed military organization, typically the highest rank before flag officer ranks (generals). It is generally found in armies, air forces or naval infantry (marines).
- To act as or like a colonel.