The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word DWELLINGS
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
D
W
E
L
L
I
N
G
S
More clues leading to the result DWELLINGS
- Houses students in horrible new digs
- Houses large number comfortably in empty garages
- Racket involving completely empty glass houses
- Department coming up with small houses
- Noises around water supply for people’s homes
- Living quarters make ringing sounds around water source
- Bit of deluge flooding southern residences
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "houses" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case houses = dwellings.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 DWELLINGS mean?
DWELLINGS noun- A house or place in which a person lives; a habitation, a home.