The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word STROPS
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
S
T
R
O
P
S
More clues leading to the result STROPS
- When climbing, wears bits of leather
- Competitive games on the rise, leading to fits of bad temper
- Ceases to be interrupted by Romeo’s fits of temper
- Flipping games leads to tantrums
- Sharpens games up
- Brings back games and increases keenness
- Pet’s strips of leather
- Sharpens exercises somersaulting
- Games being taken up gives sharper edge
- Turning wrong way wears razor sharpeners
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "fits of bad temper" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case fits of bad temper = strops.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 STROPS mean?
STROPS noun- A strap; more specifically a piece of leather or a substitute (notably canvas), or strip of wood covered with a suitable material, for honing a razor, in this sense also called razor strop.
- A bad mood or temper (see stroppy.)
- A piece of rope spliced into a circular wreath, and put round a block for hanging it.
- A poor-quality or unsaleable diamond.