The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word BABES
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
B
A
B
E
S
More clues leading to the result BABES
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "these in arms" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case these in arms = babes.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 BABES mean?
BABES noun- A baby or infant; a very young human or animal.
- An attractive person, especially a young woman.
- Darling (term of endearment).