The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word SCOUT
S
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T
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "escort" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case escort = scout.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 SCOUT mean?
SCOUT noun- A person sent out to gain and bring in tidings; especially, one employed in war to gain information about the enemy and ground.
- An act of scouting or reconnoitering.
- A member of any number of youth organizations belonging to the international scout movement, such as the Boy Scouts of America or Girl Scouts of the United States.
- A person who assesses and/or recruits others; especially, one who identifies promising talent on behalf of a sports team.
- A college servant (in Oxford, England or Yale or Harvard), originally implying a male servant, attending to (usually several) students or undergraduates in a variety of ways that includes cleaning; corresponding to the duties of a gyp or possibly bedder at Cambridge University; and at Dublin, a skip.
- A fielder in a game for practice.
- (up until 1920s) A fighter aircraft.
- Term of address for a man or boy.
- To explore a wide terrain, as if on a search; to reconnoiter.
- To observe, watch, or look for, as a scout; to follow for the purpose of observation, as a scout.
- To reject with contempt.
- To scoff.
- A swift sailing boat.
- A projecting rock.
- The guillemot.
- To pour forth a liquid forcibly, especially excrement.