The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word MILLING
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Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "grinding" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case grinding = milling.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 MILLING mean?
MILLING verb- To grind or otherwise process in a mill or other machine.
- To shape, polish, dress or finish using a machine.
- To engrave one or more grooves or a pattern around the edge of (a cylindrical object such as a coin).
- (followed by around, about, etc.) To move about in an aimless fashion.
- To cause to mill, or circle around.
- (of air-breathing creatures) To swim underwater.
- (of a whale) To swim suddenly in a new direction.
- To beat; to pound.
- To pass through a fulling mill; to full, as cloth.
- To roll (steel, etc.) into bars.
- To make (drinking chocolate) frothy, as by churning.
- To undergo hulling.
- To take part in a fistfight; to box.
- To fill (a winze or interior incline) with broken ore, to be drawn out at the bottom.
- (thieves' cant) To commit burglary.
- (trading card games) To move (a card) from a deck to the discard pile.
- (Hearthstone) To destroy (a card) due to having a full hand.
- A grinding process using a mill.
- The series of notches around the edge of a coin, placed there during minting so that it can be told if some of the metal from the edge is removed. Removing metal from a coin was common practice during earlier times when coins made of precious metals circulated.
- A circular or random motion of a herd or a crowd.