The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word STOKERS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
S
T
O
K
E
R
S
Buddy explains!
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 STOKERS mean?
STOKERS noun- A person who stokes, especially one on a steamship who stokes coal in the boilers.
- A device for stoking a fire; a poker.
- A device that feeds coal into a furnace etc automatically.
- A person who pedals on the back of a tandem bicycle.