The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word MAGNETO
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
M
A
G
N
E
T
O
More clues leading to the result MAGNETO
- Periodical facing difficulty, having nothing that provides spark
- Silver mesh installed in second generator
- One may generate an attractive item on love
- Impressionist acquires good old generator
- Explosive megaton produced by machine
- An attractive item that has nothing of interest to a motorist
- It can generate megatons mostly when exploding
- Love follows attraction, and this provides a spark
- What may provide spark in attraction and love?
- It sparks off a megaton explosion
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "One may generate" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case one may generate = magneto.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 MAGNETO mean?
MAGNETO noun- A small magnetic dynamo, especially one that provides power to the spark plugs of a small internal combustion engine.