The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word WHETHER
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
W
H
E
T
H
E
R
More clues leading to the result WHETHER
- Sharpen woman’s presentation of at least one alternative
- Elements under discussion, as if
- If not dry, accommodating husband should meet that woman
- If a British obsession, it’s talked about
- … if meteorological condition's sound
- ... if they stimulate one of them
- If reporting rain or sunny spells, for example
- If wife starts to have episode, tell her
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "if" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case if = whether.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 WHETHER mean?
WHETHER pronoun- Which of two.
- Introducing a direct interrogative question (often with correlative or) which indicates doubt between alternatives.
- Used to introduce an indirect interrogative question that consists of multiple alternative possibilities (usually with correlative or).
- Without a correlative, used to introduce a simple indirect question.
- Used to introduce a disjunctive adverbial clause which qualifies the main clause of the sentence (with correlative or).