The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word ESCHEWED
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
E
S
C
H
E
W
E
D
More clues leading to the result ESCHEWED
- Gave up half of one’s ground
- Shunned key cut by vacuous ex-husband
- Avoided school in the outskirts of Edgware and got hitched
- Steered clear of wife tucking into cheese cooked by daughter
- Middle of Test ground is to be avoided
- Perhaps Midwest ground that’s avoided?
- Surgery primarily considered after drug is rejected
- Abandoned largely cheesy romantic to get married
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "to be avoided" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case to be avoided = eschewed.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 ESCHEWED mean?
ESCHEWED verb- To avoid; to shun, to shy away from.