The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word TAUNTED
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
T
A
U
N
T
E
D
Buddy explains!
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 TAUNTED mean?
TAUNTED verb- To make fun of (someone); to goad (a person) into responding, often in an aggressive manner.