The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 plus 4 letter word BETTER HALF
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
B
E
T
T
E
R
H
A
L
F
More clues leading to the result BETTER HALF
- Some say wife's improved by a little beer
- Wife out of hospital perhaps in need of a little drink
- More suitable amount of beer for the wife?
- Wife – one taking a chance on small beer
- Partner has recovered with a short drink
- Partner improved, to an extent
- Husband, Alf, after cap for his wife?
- Partner‘s requirement after beer has been sent back?
- Bet it’s the wife!
- Stronger beer, mate?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Partner" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case partner = better half.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.