The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 2 plus 5 letter word IN TEARS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
I
N
T
E
A
R
S
More clues leading to the result IN TEARS
- One approaches overwhelming defeat, finally weeping
- Crying “salty secretion found here!”
- Clues with no beginning may keep listener visibly upset
- Visibly upset, seeing current rents
- International receivers of news crying
- One initially tense during approaches is visibly upset
- Plainly distressed, but retains composure
- Crying damaged retinas
- Seemingly unhappy career amongst those who got elected
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Crying/Crying/salty secretion found here/salty secretion found here" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case crying/crying/salty secretion found here/salty secretion found here = in tears.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.