The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word BUNION
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
B
U
N
I
O
N
More clues leading to the result BUNION
- Second-rate group of workers? That can be painful
- Boris’s first marriage – bit of a sore point?
- Trouble for member of British workers’ organisation
- Second-rate wedding is something painful
- Digital growth in book club
- Footsore British group of workers
- Author reported his progress hampered by it?
- Bishop’s joint a job for chiropodist
- First point retracted
- Lumberjack reported swelling on big toe
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "progress hampered by it" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case progress hampered by it = bunion.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 BUNION mean?
BUNION noun- A bump or bulge on the first joint of the big toe caused by the swelling of a sac of fluid under the skin.
- (by extension) Hallux valgus, deviation of the big toe from its normal position towards the other toes, the prime cause for the swelling of its first joint.