The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 3 plus 4 letter word ICE PICK
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
I
C
E
P
I
C
K
More clues leading to the result ICE PICK
- What waiter might use to cover in sugar and cream
- Flower under rocks revealed by Alpine tool
- Climber’s requirement that is full of cold cream
- Reserve select item for very wintry weather?
- Tool for penetrating dessert cream
- Reserve selection that may be used to gain a foothold
- What mountaineer may carry in reserve: cream
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "that may be used to gain a foothold" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case that may be used to gain a foothold = ice pick.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.