The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word ENDED
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
E
N
D
E
D
More clues leading to the result ENDED
- Wound up, put out not off
- Stopped pair of journalists covering news at first
- Over-inclined to take top off
- Over time deserts moved in particular direction
- In Southend, education is done
- Put paid to journalists concealing name
- Finished up in crowded neighbourhood
- Was liable to miss the opening over
- Repaired without Mike getting wound up
- Need to get drunk before day is over
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Put paid to" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case put paid to = ended.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 ENDED mean?
ENDED verb- To come to an end
- To finish, terminate.
- (in combination) Having (a specified kind or number of) ends.