The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word DELFT
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
D
E
L
F
T
More clues leading to the result DELFT
- China were in front — about 12 inches
- Pottery, fifty artful bottles
- . Expert tours large Dutch city
- Last of meal stored in handy earthenware
- Latin etched into artful pottery
- Pottery expert drinks port
- Newspaper to follow central guideline in China
- Guided around periphery of flat displaying earthenware
- With skill wrapped plate of pottery
- Where potter may be skilful, pocketing ball in the end
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "China" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case china = delft.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 DELFT mean?
DELFT noun- A style of blue and white earthenware.
- A delf; a mine, quarry, pit or ditch.