The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word PATELLA
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
P
A
T
E
L
L
A
More clues leading to the result PATELLA
- Dish including T-bone
- Fondle girl on one’s knee
- Bone
- Bone – the last thing gent needs in Spanish dish
- This can be spread all over bone
- Spanish food contains bit of turkey bone
- Bone from joint gourmet ultimately put in Spanish dish
- Bone tossed initially into Spanish dish
- Bone in food paste getting everyone upset
- Caress a girl on the knee
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Hard cap" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case hard cap = patella.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 PATELLA mean?
PATELLA noun- The sesamoid bone of the knee; the kneecap.
- A little dish or vase.