The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word PINCH
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
P
I
N
C
H
More clues leading to the result PINCH
- Poor people feel this secure at church
- Steal very small amount
- Take a little salt with …
- Nip back to church in an emergency
- Copper keeping home initially hampered nick
- Quantity of egg-flip in Christmas hamper
- Arrest tramp in cheap housing
- Tendulkar, basically failing to keep chin up, blunders in tough situation
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "nick" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case nick = pinch.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 PINCH mean?
PINCH noun- The action of squeezing a small amount of a person's skin and flesh, making it hurt.
- A close compression of anything with the fingers.
- A small amount of powder or granules, such that the amount could be held between fingertip and thumb tip.
- An awkward situation of some kind (especially money or social) which is difficult to escape.
- A metal bar used as a lever for lifting weights, rolling wheels, etc.
- An organic herbal smoke additive.
- A magnetic compression of an electrically-conducting filament.
- The narrow part connecting the two bulbs of an hourglass.
- An arrest.
- To squeeze a small amount of a person's skin and flesh, making it hurt.
- To squeeze between the thumb and forefinger.
- To squeeze between two objects.
- To steal, usually something inconsequential.
- To arrest or capture.
- To cut shoots or buds of a plant in order to shape the plant, or to improve its yield.
- To sail so close-hauled that the sails begin to flutter.
- To take hold; to grip, as a dog does.
- To be stingy or covetous; to live sparingly.
- To seize; to grip; to bite; said of animals.
- To cramp; to straiten; to oppress; to starve.
- To move, as a railroad car, by prying the wheels with a pinch.
- To complain or find fault.