The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word THISTLE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
T
H
I
S
T
L
E
More clues leading to the result THISTLE
- First 50 admitted to the plant
- Order of list corrected in article
- Order the Scots find prickly?
- Article about list circulating in plant
- Degraded silt that chokes the plant
- Flower disturbs Lettish characters
- 18 down tools, primarily supported by the French, to get Scottish representation
- List the constituents composing plant
- Plant in order of nobility
- Scots order revision of list in article
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "National symbol" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case national symbol = thistle.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 THISTLE mean?
THISTLE noun- Any of several perennial composite plants, especially of genera Cirsium, Carduus, Cynara, or Onopordum, having prickly leaves and showy flower heads with prickly bracts.
- This plant seen as the national emblem of Scotland.
- This plant used as a charge.
- The Order of the Thistle, or membership thereof.