The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word FINED
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
F
I
N
E
D
More clues leading to the result FINED
- Punished after withdrawing shelter provided
- Reported discovery, penalised
- Given penalty having invested energy in discovery
- Discover with concealed drug, hence punished, in a way
- Trendy arrested by FBI agent and given punishment
- Penalized discovery at hearing
- Come across for hearing — guilty party may be this
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "guilty party may be this" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case guilty party may be this = fined.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 FINED mean?
FINED verb- To make finer, purer, or cleaner; to purify or clarify.
- To become finer, purer, or cleaner.
- To make finer, or less coarse, as in bulk, texture, etc.
- To change by fine gradations.
- To clarify (wine and beer) by filtration.
- To become gradually fine; to diminish; to dwindle (with away, down, or off).
- To issue a fine as punishment to (someone).
- To pay a fine.
- To finish; to cease.
- To cause to cease; to stop.