The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word DROWNED
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
D
R
O
W
N
E
D
More clues leading to the result DROWNED
- Drummer conceded being thoroughly wet through?
- Saturated Republican put away bottles
- Overwhelmed daughter argued about source of noise
- One way to be dead drunk: swallowing beer at the end
- Elevated road had flooded
- Doctor had to be overwhelmed
- On reflection, study term that’s currently hidden?
- Road on the way up had been submerged
- Doctor had succumbed to the waves
- Surgeon had gone under
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "One way to be dead" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case one way to be dead = drowned.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 DROWNED mean?
DROWNED verb- To die from suffocation while immersed in water or other fluid.
- To kill by suffocating in water or another liquid.
- To be flooded: to be inundated with or submerged in (literally) water or (figuratively) other things; to be overwhelmed.
- To inundate, submerge, overwhelm.
- (usually passive) To obscure, particularly amid an overwhelming volume of other items.
- That has died by drowning.