The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word BOGUS
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
B
O
G
U
S
More clues leading to the result BOGUS
- In public vehicle, go to return fake
- Fake premium good for head of NatWest
- Fake bishop with love and a lot of sentimental outpouring
- Claiming posh, common ladies and gentlemen phoney
- Giving ground, America it’s assumed
- America east of a soggy place, it’s assumed
- Spurious university in Fens
- Pretended to repair wheels after stopping coach
- Like fake news, a morass facing America
- Fraudulent coach holding game up
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Fake" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case fake = bogus.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 BOGUS mean?
BOGUS noun- A liquor made of rum and molasses.
- Counterfeit or fake; not genuine.
- Undesirable or harmful.
- Incorrect, useless, or broken.
- Of a totally fictitious issue printed for collectors, often issued on behalf of a non-existent territory or country (not to be confused with forgery, which is an illegitimate copy of a genuine stamp).
- Based on false or misleading information or unjustified assumptions.