The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word NEEDLESS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
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More clues leading to the result NEEDLESS
- Excessive anger by fascist group
- Uncalled for to provoke Nazi police
- Want son to entertain the French? That’s uncalled-for
- Gratuitous point, empty semantics
- Excessive to provoke fascist troops
- . Born before the benefits agency once adopts ineffectual role, ultimately becoming superfluous
- Provokes son, which is unnecessary
- Excessive pointers point
- Points to one direction, which is uncalled-for
- Annoys son – that’s uncalled- for!
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Gratuitous" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case gratuitous = needless.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 NEEDLESS mean?
NEEDLESS adjective- Not needed; unnecessary.
- Needlessly, without cause.