The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word MORTISE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
M
O
R
T
I
S
E
More clues leading to the result MORTISE
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 MORTISE mean?
MORTISE noun- A hole that is made to receive a tenon so as to form a joint.
- Stability; power of adhesion.
- To cut a mortise in.
- To join by a mortise and tenon.
- To adjust the horizontal space between selected pairs of letters; to kern.