The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word STANK
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More clues leading to the result STANK
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Public drain/smelled awful" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case public drain/smelled awful = stank.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 STANK mean?
STANK verb- To have a strong bad smell.
- To be greatly inferior; to perform badly.
- To give an impression of dishonesty or untruth.
- To cause to stink; to affect by a stink.
- Foul-smelling, stinking, unclean.
- Water retained by an embankment; a pool of water.
- A dam or mound to stop water.
- Weak; worn out
- To sigh.