The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word ENGIRD
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
E
N
G
I
R
D
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Ring" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case ring = engird.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 ENGIRD mean?
ENGIRD verb- To gird around; to ingirt.