The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word ELVES
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
E
L
V
E
S
More clues leading to the result ELVES
- Seasonal workers personalities initially ignored
- Some twelve-stone sprites
- Fairies showing personalities? Not at first
- Brownies in chapel vestry
- Little folk chopping themselves in half
- Figures from folklore, topless personalities
- ‘andles mischievous kids?
- Presley with energy overwhelming island’s little folk
- Little people with egos, not small at first
- Mischievous types clothed in steel vests
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "sprites" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case sprites = elves.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 ELVES mean?
ELVES noun- A luminous spirit presiding over nature and fertility and dwelling in the world of Álfheim (Elfland). Compare angel, nymph, fairy.
- Any from a race of mythical, supernatural beings resembling but seen as distinct from human beings. They are usually delicate-featured and skilled in magic or spellcrafting; sometimes depicted as clashing with dwarves, especially in modern fantasy literature.
- Any of the magical, typically forest-guarding races bearing some similarities to the Norse álfar (through Tolkien's Eldar).
- A very diminutive person; a dwarf.
- The bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix).
- An upper atmospheric optical phenomenon associated with thunderstorms, rapidly expanding disk-shaped regions of luminosity, lasting less than a thousandth of a second, which occur high above energetic cloud-to-ground lightning of positive or negative polarity