The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word TETANUS
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
T
E
T
A
N
U
S
More clues leading to the result TETANUS
- Note aunt’s unfortunate disease
- Setter consumed with guilt finally, over disease
- Eat nuts, unfortunately getting lockjaw
- Disease set aunt into a spin
- Dicky ate nuts getting lockjaw
- Offensive ass may transmit it through biting
- Test missing section attached to waste outlet creating disease
- Setter gobbled last of meat up, getting disease
- Occasionally, treat an American for disease
- Effect of holiday for all to see in returning group – infection?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "disease" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case disease = tetanus.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 TETANUS mean?
TETANUS noun- A serious and often fatal disease caused by the infection of an open wound with the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium tetani, found in soil and the intestines and faeces of animals.
- A state of muscle tension caused by sustained contraction arising from a rapid series of nerve impulses which do not allow the muscle to relax.