The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word ITCHY
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
I
T
C
H
Y
More clues leading to the result ITCHY
- After the first minute becomes restless
- Church in large town leaving Catholic sore
- Very minor leader deposed, causing sensation
- Not at first spiteful, but irritating
- Hives can be this hostile when bee’s flown out
- Church in urban area losing head, getting irritated
- Mean to get rid of book, being irritable
- Restless and malicious, blowing cover
- Unable to relax in it, church close to Ely
- No opening for compassion – it keeps church irritated
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Hives can be this" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case hives can be this = itchy.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 ITCHY mean?
ITCHY adjective- Having or creating an itch, causing a person or animal to tend to want to scratch.