The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word KNEELS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
K
N
E
E
L
S
More clues leading to the result KNEELS
- Gets down name to board ships
- Gestures showing respect; king, on reflection, observed around 50
- Knight with lustrous clothing rises and prepares to 22, maybe
- Arising, well-groomed entertaining knight prepares for investiture
- Shows respect, smooth backing taking note
- King understood revolutionary crossing line shows respect
- Knight born before Latin saint genuflects
- At hearing, Bohr gets ready to make a proposal
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "shows respect" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case shows respect = kneels.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 KNEELS mean?
KNEELS verb- To rest on one's bent knees, sometimes only one; to move to such a position.
- To cause to kneel.
- To rest on (one's) knees