The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word BALLAST
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
B
A
L
L
A
S
T
More clues leading to the result BALLAST
- Second rate, poor Aston Villa, losing 5-1 on aggregate
- Something round, a stone, in mixture for concrete
- Ship is steadied by this thing which is round a stone
- A source of stability round a stone
- Extra weight, dammit, about a pound
- Round item a stone in coarse aggregate
- Sat shaking after dance? This could be heavy!
- Stabilising material delivery to a street
- Explosion covers nearly everyone in sandbags for example
- It helps a tramp to settle down
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "coarse aggregate" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case coarse aggregate = ballast.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 BALLAST mean?
BALLAST noun- Heavy material that is placed in the hold of a ship (or in the gondola of a balloon), to provide stability.
- Anything that steadies emotion or the mind.
- Coarse gravel or similar material laid to form a bed for roads or railroads, or in making concrete.
- A material, such as aggregate or precast concrete pavers, which employs its mass and the force of gravity to hold single-ply roof membranes in place.
- Device used for stabilizing current in an electric circuit (e.g. in a tube lamp supply circuit)
- That which gives, or helps to maintain, uprightness, steadiness, and security.
- To stabilize or load a ship with ballast.
- To lay ballast on the bed of a railroad track.