The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word NOES
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
N
O
E
S
More clues leading to the result NOES
- One’s confused, giving negative responses
- Bill’s opponents
- Ones for reform – yet they vote against
- They’ll oppose candidates other than mine
- Those voting against speaker’s good judgement?
- Having odd deficiencies, uncovers negatives
- Awkward ones making negative votes
- Votes against hooter being sounded
- Awkward ones giving negative votes
- Through listening, recognises dissident expressions
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "negatives" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case negatives = noes.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 NOES mean?
NOES noun- A negating expression; an answer that shows disagreement or disapproval
- A vote not in favor, or opposing a proposition