Cryptic crossword clue
By the sound of it, poltroon looked fearful 7

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word COWERED

I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
C
O
W
E
R
E
D

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The straight part
We know that "looked fearful" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case looked fearful = cowered.
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 COWERED mean?

COWERED verb
  1. To crouch or cringe, or to avoid or shy away from something, in fear.
  2. To crouch in general.
  3. To cause to cower; to frighten into submission.
COWERED verb
  1. To cherish with care.

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