Cryptic crossword clue
Painter to cut back piece of hair 7

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word POLLOCK

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
P
O
L
L
O
C
K

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Painter" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case painter = pollock.
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 POLLOCK mean?

POLLOCK noun
  1. Either of two lean, white marine food fishes, of the genus Pollachius, in the cod family.
POLLOCK verb
  1. To fish for pollock.
POLLOCK verb
  1. To splatter, as with paint.

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