The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word HARSH
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
H
A
R
S
H
More clues leading to the result HARSH
- Stern leader of regiment entering mess
- Bitter Republican into pot
- Rough recipe to stuff meat dish
- Coarse one leaves like a swift runner
- ‘Abrasive’ is ‘hard as hard’? That’s about right
- Bitter husband remains without dinner in the end
- Severe resistance breaking tag used on social media
- Stuffing rook into pot is cruel
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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 HARSH mean?
HARSH verb- To negatively criticize.
- To put a damper on (a mood).
- Unpleasantly rough to the touch or other senses.
- Severe or cruel.