The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word GLOVE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
G
L
O
V
E
More clues leading to the result GLOVE
- . Good relish that a hygienic chef had a hand in?
- Handy protection‘s good before passion
- Tory MP keeps Labour leader on hand
- Mitt’s ‘good-oh’
- Change direction in wood to get hands warmer
- Manual covering opening of game and the score thereat?
- Tory MP shielding head from liquid put protective wear on
- Good relationship: one might have a hand in it
- Perhaps kid one girl’s beginning to dote on
- Item of wear girl’s beginning to be very fond of
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Handy protection" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case handy protection = glove.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 GLOVE mean?
GLOVE noun- An item of clothing other than a mitten, covering all or part of the hand and fingers, but usually allowing independent movement of the fingers.
- A baseball mitt.
- The ability to catch a hit ball.
- A condom.
- (with definite article) A challenge from one to another.
- To catch the ball in a baseball mitt.
- To put a glove or gloves on.
- To touch a delivery with one's glove while the gloved hand is on the bat. Under the rules of cricket, the batsman is deemed to have hit the ball.