The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word CURED
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
C
U
R
E
D
More clues leading to the result CURED
- Preserved copper colour
- Might meat be better?
- Made better with copper colour
- Smoked but no longer suffering from it
- Preserved cheese, ultimately, in its original form
- Cauliflower head with excellent stuffing made well
- Finally cabbage goes into head of cauliflower and salted
- Potter about, right before last of weed’s smoked?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Might meat be/better" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case might meat be/better = cured.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 CURED mean?
CURED verb- To restore to health.
- To bring (a disease or its bad effects) to an end.
- To cause to be rid of (a defect).
- To prepare or alter especially by chemical or physical processing for keeping or use.
- To bring about a cure of any kind.
- To be undergoing a chemical or physical process for preservation or use.
- To preserve (food), typically by salting
- To solidify or gel.
- To become healed.
- To pay heed; to care; to give attention.