The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word CLEANER
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
C
L
E
A
N
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R
More clues leading to the result CLEANER
- Carbon more efficient and less polluting
- Bright around north-east for Mrs Mop?
- Remover of dirt or carbon with less fat
- Cold with less covering, like you after a shower?
- Daily and what it is without Page Three?
- Daily soap?
- List in church ending prayer daily
- Char caught by bank about to be served up
- Charlady showing tolerance not to work
- Worker less productive after cold
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "less polluting" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case less polluting = cleaner.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 CLEANER mean?
CLEANER noun- A person whose occupation is to clean floors, windows and other things.
- A device that cleans, such as the vacuum cleaner.
- A substance used for cleaning, a cleaning agent.
- (in the plural) A professional laundry or dry cleaner (business). (This form is now interpreted as plural and usually spelled without an apostrophe, even in official usage, to justify the removal of the apostrophe. It was traditionally spelled cleaner's with an apostrophe because this is grammatically correct, as can be seen with forms such as go to the doctor's, which cannot be reinterpreted as plural.)
- (heading, physical) Free of dirt or impurities or protruberances.
- (heading, behavioural) Free of immorality or criminality.
- Smooth, exact, and performed well
- Total; utter. (still in "clean sweep")
- Cool or neat.
- (health) Being free of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
- That does not damage the environment.
- Free from that which is useless or injurious; without defects.
- Free from restraint or neglect; complete; entire.
- Well-proportioned; shapely.
- (of a route) Ascended without falling.