The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word VARNISH
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
V
A
R
N
I
S
H
More clues leading to the result VARNISH
- Disappear, having crossed river in Japan?
- Put a coat on and disappear round corner at last
- Leave without right coat
- Leader of Remain probing Leave’s superficial showiness
- 17 Disappear holding recipe for glaze
- Disappear with Romeo in Japan?
- Glossy coat to go missing, worn by Romeo
- Japan, possibly very dull when time passes
- Disappear after pinching king’s shiny coat
- Put a coat on and disappear across river
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "shiny coat" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case shiny coat = varnish.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 VARNISH mean?
VARNISH noun- A type of paint with a solvent that evaporates to leave a hard, transparent, glossy film.
- Anything resembling such a paint; glossy appearance.
- (by extension) A deceptively showy appearance.
- A passenger train, probably derived from the varnished passenger cars used at one time.
- To apply varnish.
- To cover up with varnish.
- To gloss over a defect.