The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 2 plus 1 plus 3 letter word TO A MAN
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
T
O
A
M
A
N
More clues leading to the result TO A MAN
- Armoured vehicle shortly suppresses revolutionary rising, without exception
- … shaking bits of anatomy, very nearly without exception
- Without exception, atom disintegrates on the surface of article
- 'Unopposed vacuous tycoon' describes president squandering billions
- Odious type interminably dominating servant without exception
- Revolutionary Communist wears brown, without exception
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "without exception" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case without exception = to a man.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.