Cryptic crossword clue
Confidence in battle of the Home Counties? 7

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word SECRECY

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
S
E
C
R
E
C
Y

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Confidence/Confidence" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case confidence/confidence = secrecy.
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 SECRECY mean?

SECRECY noun
  1. Concealment; the condition of being secret or hidden.
  2. The habit of keeping secrets.

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