Cryptic crossword clue
Mess dug out producing dirty marks 7

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word SMUDGES

I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
S
M
U
D
G
E
S

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "dirty marks" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case dirty marks = smudges.
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 SMUDGES mean?

SMUDGES noun
  1. A blemish or smear, especially a dark or sooty one.
  2. Dense smoke, such as that used for fumigation.
  3. A heap of damp combustibles partially ignited and burning slowly, placed on the windward side of a house, tent, etc. to keep off mosquitoes or other insects.
  4. (especially in the phrase "smudge stick" = "stick of incense") A quantity of herbs used in suffumigation.

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