The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word LEWIS
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
L
E
W
I
S
More clues leading to the result LEWIS
- Harris’s neighbour’s wife, draped in garlands
- Western isle, and western part of troubled isle
- Part of island in Caribbean captured by the French
- In France the west is an island
- Constable wishes to hug Inspector
- First or last name, or character of Oxford writer
- Western isle stormy?
- Who’s responsible for Alice Island?
- Freemason’s son women wreathed in garlands
- Solver‘s Scottish isle
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Inspector" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case inspector = lewis.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 LEWIS mean?
LEWIS noun- A cramp iron inserted into a cavity in order to lift heavy stones; used as a symbol of strength in Freemasonry.
- (by extension) The son of a Freemason, envisaged as assisting his father in heavy work or in old age.
- A kind of shears used in cropping woollen cloth.