The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word DASTARD
I've seen this crossword clue in The Sunday Telegraph
D
A
S
T
A
R
D
More clues leading to the result DASTARD
- One cowardly old man nicking lead?
- Brilliant old man arrests craven one
- Celebrity framed by parent as scoundrel
- Bad person with heavenly body hugged by the old man
- Rotter’s lawyer has brilliant defence in the beginning
- Cur curses miserable setback?
- Despicable sort of celebrity embraced by father
- Ungentlemanly type, even worse with a different leader
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "scoundrel" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case scoundrel = dastard.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 DASTARD mean?
DASTARD noun- A malicious coward; a dishonorable sneak.
- To dastardize.
- Meanly shrinking from danger, cowardly, dastardly.