The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word MAINE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
M
A
I
N
E
More clues leading to the result MAINE
- State chief given a hearing
- One cutting hair in a state
- Key European state
- Chief English state
- Here’s Augusta, one wearing hair long and shaggy
- Reportedly predominant state
- Pipe connects with eastern state
- State of shock yours truly’s in
- State of Slovenia mired in revolution, somewhat
- Article buried in pit somewhere in America
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "a state" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case a state = maine.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.