The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word DEMOB
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
D
E
M
O
B
More clues leading to the result DEMOB
- Remove from fighting of French unruly crowd
- Drove fast northwards, expelling black discharge
- Extremists in desperate criminal group kind of happy?
- Retire after serving protest by bishop
- Military discharge, March 2?
- 2nd March release for 4D?
- Protest over bishop — something happening at end of service
- Early take-offs from Delta, easyJet, Monarch…oh, and BMI…put out of action
- Discharge brigade’s leader after protest march
- Discharge journalist that’s upset common people
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "leave the ranks" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case leave the ranks = demob.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 DEMOB mean?
DEMOB noun- Demobilization; release from military service.
- To demobilize; to release someone from military service.