The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 plus 3 plus 4 letter word BLACK AND BLUE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
B
L
A
C
K
A
N
D
B
L
U
E
More clues leading to the result BLACK AND BLUE
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Severely bruised" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case severely bruised = black and blue.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 BLACK AND BLUE mean?
BLACK AND BLUE adjective- (of a person) Having obvious bruises of the skin, typically from falling or being hit or punched.