The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word NITRO
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
N
I
T
R
O
More clues leading to the result NITRO
- Explosive start setting one back a bit
- Explosive squaddies can set up
- Explosive beginning in which one appears late
- Explosive beginning, in which the first person appears late
- Explosive emperor has it in for leader of enemy
- Explosive start
- Explosive centre of core container’s going up
- Fool runs over explosive
- Dimwit stripped iron to make explosive
- Other ranks can turn up explosive
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Explosive" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case explosive = nitro.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 NITRO mean?
NITRO noun- The univalent NO2 functional group.
- Nitroglycerin, especially as medication.
- A beer that is nitrogenated to give it a more creamy head.
- Nitromethane.
- Nitrogen, especially as liquid nitrogen.
- Containing the nitro group; such compounds tend to be unstable and often explosive