The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word SANDIER
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
S
A
N
D
I
E
R
Buddy explains!

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 SANDIER mean?
SANDIER adjective- Covered with sand.
- Sprinkled with sand.
- Containing sand.
- Like sand, especially in texture.
- Having the colour of sand.