The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word RAMBO
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
R
A
M
B
O
More clues leading to the result RAMBO
- Artist and doctor: old, aggressive male
- Male bodybuilder ostensibly starts to become a he-man
- Sly character has run into lad wiping bottom
- Tough guy, guy going after reversal of damage
- In retrospect Bob Marley by and large a hero on screen
- Box office after smash action film
- Run into short lad — a tough guy
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Sly character" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case sly character = rambo.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 RAMBO mean?
RAMBO noun- Knife