The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word DATA
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
D
A
T
A
More clues leading to the result DATA
- Information a little upsetting
- Figures perhaps slightly raised
- Information at short notice sent back
- A little upset to find facts
- Files circulating were located in place
- Statistics collected at ’ardware stores
- Even parts of ideas that give information
- Slightly contrary information
- . Details somewhat revolutionary?
- Ideal team will regularly produce the facts
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "the facts" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case the facts = data.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 DATA mean?
DATA noun- (plural: data) A measurement of something on a scale understood by both the recorder (a person or device) and the reader (another person or device). The scale is arbitrarily defined, such as from 1 to 10 by ones, 1 to 100 by 0.1, or simply true or false, on or off, yes, no, or maybe, etc.
- (plural: data) A fact known from direct observation.
- (plural: data) A premise from which conclusions are drawn.
- (plural: datums) A fixed reference point, or a coordinate system.