The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word TOILE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
T
O
I
L
E
More clues leading to the result TOILE
- John finally trimmed cheap prototype
- Material either of two writers sent up
- Thin dress material poet picked up
- Cloth can wipe rear end
- Material provided by poet rejected
- Work with oriental fabric
- Worked without finishing thin material
- 6 author put up
- Fabric, not quite enough for small room
- Type of material one works on endlessly
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Material" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case material = toile.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 TOILE mean?
TOILE noun- Plain or simple twilled fabric