The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word COLONES
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
C
O
L
O
N
E
S
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Central American money" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case central american money = colones.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 COLONES mean?
COLONES noun- The punctuation mark ":".
- The triangular colon (especially in context of not being able to type the actual triangular colon).
- A rhetorical figure consisting of a clause which is grammatically, but not logically, complete.
- A clause or group of clauses written as a line, or taken as a standard of measure in ancient manuscripts or texts.
- Part of the large intestine; the final segment of the digestive system, after (distal to) the ileum and before (proximal to) the anus.
- A husbandman.
- A European colonial settler, especially in a French colony.
- The currency of Costa Rica, divided into 100 céntimos.
- The former currency of El Salvador, divided into 100 centavos (cents), now replaced by the American dollar.