The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word PACKS
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
P
A
C
K
S
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Gets ready for hols/lots of Scouts" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case gets ready for hols/lots of scouts = packs.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 PACKS mean?
PACKS noun- A bundle made up and prepared to be carried; especially, a bundle to be carried on the back, but also a load for an animal, a bale.
- A number or quantity equal to the contents of a pack
- A multitude.
- A number or quantity of connected or similar things; a collective.
- A full set of playing cards
- The assortment of playing cards used in a particular game.
- A group of hounds or dogs, hunting or kept together.
- A wolfpack: a number of wolves, hunting together.
- A group of people associated or leagued in a bad design or practice; a gang.
- A group of Cub Scouts.
- A shook of cask staves.
- A bundle of sheet iron plates for rolling simultaneously.
- A large area of floating pieces of ice driven together more or less closely.
- An envelope, or wrapping, of sheets used in hydropathic practice, called dry pack, wet pack, cold pack, etc., according to the method of treatment.
- : A loose, lewd, or worthless person.
- A tight group of object balls in cue sports. Usually the reds in snooker.
- The forwards in a rugby team (eight in Rugby Union, six in Rugby League) who with the opposing pack constitute the scrum.
- (physical) To put or bring things together in a limited or confined space, especially for storage or transport.
- (social) To cheat.
- To load with a pack
- To load; to encumber.
- To move, send or carry.
- To block a shot, especially in basketball.
- (of the forwards in a rugby team) To play together cohesively, specially with reference to their technique in the scrum.
- (of a drag king, transman, etc.) To wear a prosthetic penis inside one’s trousers for better verisimilitude.