The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word PIPETTE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
P
I
P
E
T
T
E
More clues leading to the result PIPETTE
- Tube for liquid in mine covering domestic source of electricity
- Tube ending in passage alongside canary, say, in mine
- Preferred getting temperature inside pastry dish, using measuring device
- Noise better when ends cut off instrument
- Estella’s son perhaps spotted in Tube?
- Glass tube investigator preferred emptying twice
- Narrowly defeat Asians holding bars used in the lab
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "instrument" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case instrument = pipette.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 PIPETTE mean?
PIPETTE noun- A small tube, often with an enlargement or bulb in the middle, and usually graduated, used for transferring or delivering measured quantities of a liquid.
- To transfer or measure the volume of a liquid using a pipette.