The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word BABYSIT
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
B
A
B
Y
S
I
T
More clues leading to the result BABYSIT
- Look after child, next to son nursed by guy
- Watch kids gorge nonstop during scrap
- Protect offspring of hound by taking son inside
- Parent briefly next to opening of sett, feeding badger
- Act as minder for a small charge?
- Temporarily take issue by agreement
- Tend to kid and tease outside near son
- Take care of a difficult situation mostly in scrap
- Is tabby excited to look after young one?
- Youngest in family's the one after the others to give parents a break
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Protect offspring" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case protect offspring = babysit.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 BABYSIT mean?
BABYSIT verb- To watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money.
- To watch or attend anything or anyone unnecessarily closely; to have to help or coax too much.