The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word ROTTER
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
R
O
T
T
E
R
More clues leading to the result ROTTER
- River mammal going after river rat!
- Rat, something in compost heap, perhaps?
- Despicable type who’s falling apart?
- Rat takes tail off another riverside creature
- Rat is a river animal
- Cad runs over appealing carnivore
- Pig for the compost heap?
- He’s a right beast!
- Pig runs with another animal
- Nasty chap makes Del Boy lose his head
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Rat/something in compost heap" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case rat/something in compost heap = rotter.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 ROTTER mean?
ROTTER noun- A worthless, despicable person.
- A scoundrel.