The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 plus 3 letter word DINNER SET
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
D
I
N
N
E
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T
More clues leading to the result DINNER SET
- One might get completely smashed at traditional meal inGreece …
- Dessert inn served, short of small plates etc
- Basis for the table d’hôte meal?
- 7 21 racket arranged with Tyneside restaurateurs at its heart
- New resident broke the crockery
- Innovative resident introducing new service for consumers
- President blows top, upset about new table service
- Daughter playing tennis limits her familiar service
- China, say, private place under leader of dictatorship
- Resident perturbed about new service for eaters
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "plates etc" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case plates etc = dinner set.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.