Cryptic crossword clue
Caught hard old hooligan sporting a goatee? 6

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word TUFTED

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
T
U
F
T
E
D

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "sporting a goatee" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case sporting a goatee = tufted.
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 TUFTED mean?

TUFTED verb
  1. To provide or decorate with a tuft or tufts.
  2. To form into tufts.
  3. To secure and strengthen (a mattress, quilt, etc.) with tufts.
  4. To be formed into tufts.
TUFTED adjective
  1. Having tufts.

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