The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word HEMLOCK
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
H
E
M
L
O
C
K
More clues leading to the result HEMLOCK
- Socrates’s killer shows a hesitation to bolt
- Poison made from wine containing slippery elm
- Some hair visible beyond end of skirt
- A bit of a shock south of the border, discovering poison
- What set back ape? Blocked by large plant
- Trim hair that Socrates had finally
- Border's secure, but it could kill
- Poisoner, tuft of hair beneath fringe
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Socrates’s killer" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case socrates’s killer = hemlock.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 HEMLOCK mean?
HEMLOCK noun- Any of the poisonous umbelliferous plants, of the genera
- The poison obtained from these Conium and Cicuta plants.
- Any of several coniferous trees, of the genus Tsuga, that grow in North America; the wood of such trees.