The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word VEGETABLE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
V
E
G
E
T
A
B
L
E
More clues leading to the result VEGETABLE
- Rocket, perhaps, that has wartime success within reach?
- Half have become fit — squash perhaps?
- Food item's in middle of oven, within reach
- European to become fit after playing squash maybe
- Become fit after meat’s cut by half — but do eat this!
- Food the vet and beagle both chewed
- Plant perhaps betel, gave nuts
- Green victory in Europe attainable
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Food item/within reach" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case food item/within reach = vegetable.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 VEGETABLE mean?
VEGETABLE noun- Any plant.
- A plant raised for some edible part of it, such as the leaves, roots, fruit or flowers, but excluding any plant considered to be a fruit, grain, herb, or spice in the culinary sense.
- The edible part of such a plant.
- A person whose brain (or, infrequently, body) has been damaged so that they cannot interact with the surrounding environment; a person in a persistent vegetative state.
- Of or relating to plants.
- Of or relating to vegetables.