The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word MORNING
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
M
O
R
N
I
N
G
More clues leading to the result MORNING
- Casual greeting from old sailors in China
- Uniform mislaid during bereavement period
- Utter desolation before noon
- Menzies briefly entertained head of Omani navy before lunch
- Sound of complaint: right to block one out in early part of day
- Reported missing before noon
- Second call catches knight early
- When newspapers appear to report grief
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "before lunch" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case before lunch = morning.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 MORNING mean?
MORNING noun- The part of the day from dawn to noon.
- The part of the day between midnight and noon.
- The early part of anything.
- The first alcoholic drink of the day; a morning draught.
- A greeting said in the morning; shortening of good morning