The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word GANGRENE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
G
A
N
G
R
E
N
E
More clues leading to the result GANGRENE
- Horse laid up with fresh reported infection
- Endless vigour on horseback causing decay
- Frenchman joining crew? Rot!
- Mortification of girl attached to criminal band
- Rush of green after badger turns up rotting tissue
- Mortification of the flesh – it may be character-building having endless cross to bear
- Frenchman chases criminals — it could be life threatening
- Group of friends being superior to Frenchman? It's mortifying
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "decay" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case decay = gangrene.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 GANGRENE mean?
GANGRENE noun- The necrosis or rotting of flesh, usually caused by lack of blood supply.
- A damaging or corrupting influence.
- To produce gangrene in.
- To be affected with gangrene.
- To corrupt; To cause to become degenerate.