The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word EXPENSE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
E
X
P
E
N
S
E
More clues leading to the result EXPENSE
- Divorcee confines energy outlay
- Maybe charge writer in old case of sacrilege
- Former writer’s ultimately excessive outlay
- Outlay keeping female swans in river
- Cost, old penny, seen to change
- How Roman Briton might announce 10p charge?
- Former writer's energy outlay
- Old writing implements exceed top price
- Cost of swans in the river
- Former writer’s ultimately futile outlay
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Maybe charge" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case maybe charge = expense.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 EXPENSE mean?
EXPENSE noun- A spending or consuming, often a disbursement of funds.
- The elimination or consumption of something, sometimes with the notion of loss or damage to the thing eliminated.
- Loss.
- To charge a cost against an expense account; to bill something to the company for which one works.