The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word ATTEMPTS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
A
T
T
E
M
P
T
S
More clues leading to the result ATTEMPTS
- Goes past me two times running
- Casual tense employed in old female soldiers’ essays
- Bit of a kip invites efforts
- Goes towards seasonal temperatures
- Tries bait regularly with lures
- A terrorist at first invites shots
- A model entices and goes
- Tries a model temporary employee starting to take stock
- Matt’s pet, Goofy, has a go
- Rejecting volunteers, politician’s swamped by mock test essays
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "cracks" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case cracks = attempts.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 ATTEMPTS mean?
ATTEMPTS noun- The action of trying at something.
- An assault or attack, especially an assassination attempt.
- To try.
- To try to move, by entreaty, by afflictions, or by temptations; to tempt.
- To try to win, subdue, or overcome.
- To attack; to make an effort or attack upon; to try to take by force.