The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word ADVERBS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
A
D
V
E
R
B
S
More clues leading to the result ADVERBS
- They qualify subtly and accurately, maybe
- Bowling initially for a short time, puffs hard and quickly, perhaps
- Say, rather badly: ‘Bread vs rocks’
- A day doing word searches starting in early May?
- Bachelor forced into unfavourable shaving — so comically here?
- Dave mistakenly bailed out bank. Mistakenly and corruptly perhaps?
- Action word in promotional materials gives us some parts of speech
- For example, strongly and firmly braved troubles before onset of senility
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "rather/badly" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case rather/badly = adverbs.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 ADVERBS mean?
ADVERBS noun- (grammar) A word that modifies a verb, adjective, other adverbs, or various other types of words, phrases, or clauses.
- To make into or become an adverb.