The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word MEANIE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
M
E
A
N
I
E
More clues leading to the result MEANIE
- Tight-fisted type withholding pounds from girl
- He’s small-minded, average, extremely irksome
- This writer disheartened orphan, the rotter
- Ungenerous sort having average income, but not content
- False name, that is, for villain
- Malicious type given bad name, that is
- Yours truly, occasionally jaundiced and a bit of a Scrooge
- The person writing leading article that is ungenerous soul
- Wicked name that is for villain
- This writer that is penning article, an unkind type
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "villain" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case villain = meanie.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 MEANIE mean?
MEANIE noun- A mean (unkind or miserly) person; a killjoy.
- A villain.