The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word DEFICIT
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
D
E
F
I
C
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T
More clues leading to the result DEFICIT
- Loss expert acting as receiver for chemical company
- Shortage female in charge discovered in tight diet
- Loss is cited if bankrupt
- Shortfall bound to restrict Conservative leader, if mounting
- Problem with economy not about to be rectified, sadly
- Successive notes on one large town — endless money problem
- Cryptic, if edited, shows up deficiency
- Expert concealing old company’s shortfall
- Bound to include third of receipts if reversing shortfall
- Loss of business
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Loss of business" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case loss of business = deficit.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 DEFICIT mean?
DEFICIT noun- Deficiency in amount or quality; a falling short; lack.
- A situation wherein, or amount whereby, spending exceeds government revenue.