The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word AGRIPPA
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
A
G
R
I
P
P
A
More clues leading to the result AGRIPPA
- A Roman general: one that’s riveting for the audience
- . General, Italian American, one who holds broadcast
- Sound advice daughter ignored, in general
- Military commander, one with things firmly in hand, it’s reported
- General advisor for emperor penguins initially on hold in Antarctica’s fringes
- Articles about mastery and power shown by Roman leader
- Roman general in a thrilling production on the radio
- Old general, one with a tight hold reportedly
- General Secretary follows American with control
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Military commander" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case military commander = agrippa.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.