The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word PREEN
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
P
R
E
E
N
More clues leading to the result PREEN
- Groom about to be put in prison
- Tart up, on prodding feather once?
- Clean feathers before hens de-winged
- Maintain quills, with which to write note
- Groom is quiet and naive, not good
- What diver may do with bill, on cutting pound
- Dress up when about to be introduced to writer
- Bird’s tidy up? No, down!
- Spruce up M’s place?
- Groom about to visit prison in Kentucky
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Maintain quills" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case maintain quills = preen.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 PREEN mean?
PREEN noun- A forked tool used by clothiers for dressing cloth.
- (dialectal) pin
- (dialectal) bodkin; brooch
- To pin; fasten.
- (of birds) To groom; to trim or dress with the beak, as the feathers.
- To show off, posture, or smarm.
- To trim up, as trees.