The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word NICKS
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
N
I
C
K
S
More clues leading to the result NICKS
- Recalled Charlie in coat and trousers
- Clegg’s cuts?
- Cuts devil’s takes: nothing to report
- Little fellow’s showing signs of careless shaving?
- Singer who had hits with Mick Fleetwood‘s scores
- Hack shows no sign of amusement during overturning of wrong arrests
- Steals from cop, the ultimate in foolishness
- Steals from prisons
- Steals nothing, according to report
- Cuts with no sound
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "trousers" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case trousers = nicks.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 NICKS mean?
NICKS noun- A small cut in a surface.
- Senses connoting something small.
- Often in the expressions in bad nick and in good nick: condition, state.
- (law enforcement) A police station or prison.
- To make a nick or notch in; to cut or scratch in a minor way.
- To fit into or suit, as by a correspondence of nicks; to tally with.
- To make a cut at the side of the face.
- To steal.
- (law enforcement) To arrest.
- To give or call (someone) by a nickname; to style.
- A nix or nixie.
- A familiar, invented given name for a person or thing used instead of the actual name of the person or thing.
- A kind of byname that describes a person by a characteristic of that person.