The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word ORNERY
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
O
R
N
E
R
Y
More clues leading to the result ORNERY
- Like a mule I put across river by track
- Cantankerous individual welcoming king to railway
- Awkward king leaving islands, seizing queen
- Stubborn Conservative avoiding difficulty and ultimate in ignominy
- Disorderly lad out of an orderly set being hard to please
- Grumpy sits in corner, yelling
- Corner after commencement on the Fourth of July, like a curmudgeon
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Awkward" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case awkward = ornery.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 ORNERY mean?
ORNERY adjective- Cantankerous, stubborn, disagreeable.
- Mischievous, prankish, teasing, disagreeable but in a good way.
- Commonplace, inferior.