The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word ATHIRST
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
A
T
H
I
R
S
T
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Being short of water" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case being short of water = athirst.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 ATHIRST mean?
ATHIRST adjective- Thirsty.
- Eager or extremely desirous (for something).