The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word INSECTS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
I
N
S
E
C
T
S
More clues leading to the result INSECTS
- Small animals in nonconformist groups
- Perhaps flies home etc recklessly within seconds
- Vets less quiet bugs
- Insignificant people in parties
- They’re in all across answers, factionally divided
- Possibly flies in groups
- Small creatures in schools
- Flies home, groups follow
- Creatures surrounded by wings
- Insignificant people in dissenting cliques
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Perhaps flies" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case perhaps flies = insects.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 INSECTS mean?
INSECTS noun- An arthropod in the class Insecta, characterized by six legs, up to four wings, and a chitinous exoskeleton.
- Any small arthropod similar to an insect including spiders, centipedes, millipedes, etc
- A contemptible or powerless person.