The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word FENCING
I've seen this crossword clue in The Sunday Telegraph
F
E
N
C
I
N
G
More clues leading to the result FENCING
- Combat sport which often divides neighbours
- Sport as a criminal activity
- Wooden barriers guarding sport
- Foil work, perhaps, putting up barriers
- Sport that's restrictive?
- Evasively parrying questions about palisade?
- Foil one’s opponent possibly in sport
- Barrier for enclosing an area for an Olympic event
- Enclosure for sport
- Sport that may be dividing neighbours?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "putting up barriers" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case putting up barriers = fencing.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 FENCING mean?
FENCING verb- To enclose, contain or separate by building fence.
- To defend or guard.
- To engage in the selling or buying of stolen goods.
- To engage in the sport of fencing.
- To jump over a fence.
- To conceal the truth by giving equivocal answers; to hedge; to be evasive.
- The art or sport of duelling with swords, especially with the 17th- to 18th-century European dueling swords and the practice weapons descended from them (sport fencing)
- Material used to make fences, fences used as barriers or an enclosure.