The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word OBVIATE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
O
B
V
I
A
T
E
More clues leading to the result OBVIATE
- Do away with cracks above it
- Prevent honoured officer adopting the Roman way to tango
- Do away with old boy by way of note
- Forestall old boy through note
- Get rid of old boy having had tea maybe around six
- Forestall ex-pupil by way of a note
- 2 Do away with rolling above it
- Eliminate old boy essentially cheating in contest
- Get round to old boy mixing tea after six
- Prevent old boy endlessly avid to have tea spilt
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Prevent" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case prevent = obviate.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 OBVIATE mean?
OBVIATE verb- To anticipate and prevent or bypass (something which would otherwise have been necessary or required).
- To avoid (a future problem or difficult situation).