The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word PREENED
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
P
R
E
E
N
E
D
More clues leading to the result PREENED
- Before finale, gripping movie’s ending was self-congratulatory
- Put down in the correct order
- Piss around right before Edward acted the dandy
- Earl interrupted before conclusion, getting congratulated
- Groomed European enters before finale
- Did groom feign missing tango when touring Spain?
- Got everything in order for the flight
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "was self-congratulatory" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case was self-congratulatory = preened.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 PREENED mean?
PREENED verb- To pin; fasten.
- (of birds) To groom; to trim or dress with the beak, as the feathers.
- To show off, posture, or smarm.
- To trim up, as trees.