Cryptic crossword clue
Pretty stupid to start following river discharges 8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word EXECUTES

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
E
X
E
C
U
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S

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "discharges" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case discharges = executes.
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 EXECUTES mean?

EXECUTES verb
  1. To kill as punishment for capital crimes.
  2. To carry out; to put into effect.
  3. To perform.
  4. To carry out, to perform an act; to put into effect or cause to become legally binding or valid (as a contract) by so doing.
  5. To start, launch or run
  6. To run, usually successfully.

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