Cryptic crossword clue
Ne’er-do-well exposed following closure of British barracks

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

I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "barracks" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case barracks = heckles.
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 HECKLES mean?

HECKLES verb
  1. To question harshly in an attempt to find or reveal weaknesses.
  2. To insult, tease, make fun of or badger.
  3. To prepare flax for spinning using special combs called hackles

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