The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word CROUCH
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
C
R
O
U
C
H
More clues leading to the result CROUCH
- Bend low – cane’s beginning on Bunter’s rear – that hurts!
- Settle around end of year and hunker down
- Duck down feather: it’s ultimate stuffing for sofa
- Bend down to king in Chesterfield
- Practically sit in sofa, hugging back of chair
- Footballer right in place for medical examination
- Find rupees in sofa in squat
- Duck shooter?
- . Squat on crossbar on either side, it hurts!
- Bend over empty chair, with a cry of pain
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "hunker down" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case hunker down = crouch.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 CROUCH mean?
CROUCH noun- A bent or stooped position.
- To bend down; to stoop low; to stand close to the ground with legs bent, like an animal when waiting for prey, or someone in fear.
- To bend servilely; to bow in reverence or humility.
- A cross.
- To sign with the cross; bless.