The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word ADMIN
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
A
D
M
I
N
More clues leading to the result ADMIN
- A racket taking in head of mafia organisation
- Running time required by commercial
- Management notice time is short
- Notice minutes for business proceedings
- Athlete doing marathon initially wearing running things
- A furore about male’s management
- Office worker and a male engaged in row
- Violent dictator repressing Democrat’s term of office
- A row about money management
- A racket inspiring head of mafia organisation
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "running things" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case running things = admin.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 ADMIN mean?
ADMIN noun- Administration, or administrative work.
- A systems administrator; one who maintains a computer system or network.
- A user of a discussion forum, web site, etc. with privileges allowing them to control or restrict the activity of other uses.
- To serve as an administrator for or of.