The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 plus 2 letter word ROPED IN
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
R
O
P
E
D
I
N
More clues leading to the result ROPED IN
- Persuaded sculptor to box in gym
- Enlisted revolutionary when I deported some characters
- Kiss man touring Peru, reluctantly engaged
- Nationalist after turbulent period reluctantly enlisted
- Recruited sculptor to take on exercise
- Unwillingly involved with picture frame — framed by sculptor
- One drip, oddly, may be involved
- Enlisted soldiers crossing river on the way back to Germany and home
- Sculptor framing poet oddly gets volunteered
- Enlisted with no pride lost
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "reluctantly engaged" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case reluctantly engaged = roped in.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.