The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word SPARSE
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
S
P
A
R
S
E
More clues leading to the result SPARSE
- Scattered boxes on bottom of pile
- Mad about first of seed being thinly scattered
- Scattered beams with energy
- . Scattered boxes close to home
- Very few of scores usually expected in extremely strange setting
- Scattered boxes with energy
- Odds are about snow initially being thin on the ground
- Boxes finally become infrequent
- Minister not getting on in the Home Counties is by no means dense
- Scattered boxes on base
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "thin on the ground" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case thin on the ground = sparse.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 SPARSE mean?
SPARSE verb- To scatter; to disperse.
- Having widely spaced intervals.
- Not dense; meager; scanty
- Having few nonzero elements