The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word SPOTTER
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
S
P
O
T
T
E
R
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "scout" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case scout = spotter.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 SPOTTER mean?
SPOTTER noun- A person who observes something.
- A member of a sniper team who in addition to this function is responsible for providing additional information about targets from a different point of view.
- One who supervises a person performing an activity, in order to help them should they be unable to complete it.
- A person who gives directions of a crane or vehicle challenging to navigate from a different point of view to the moved load.
- Dolphins of the genus Stenella, and specifically Stenella attenuata distinguished from the streaker (Stenella coeruleoalba) and the spinner (Stenella longirostris).
- A team member responsible for communication with the driver to keep them up-to-date about on-track events, such as other nearby cars.