The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 letter word CITRONELLA
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
C
I
T
R
O
N
E
L
L
A
More clues leading to the result CITRONELLA
- Insect repellent dispersed into cellar
- Woman holding edges of tender single plant
- Insect repellent sprayed into cellar
- Caught line in wild oriental grass
- Source of oil? Suspect artic, one carrying L-plates
- Oil flowing into cellar
- Insect repellant found in stock of E. & H. Allen or T. I. Carson
- Fragrant oil tossed into cellar
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Source of oil" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case source of oil = citronella.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 CITRONELLA mean?
CITRONELLA noun- A tropical Asian grass, Cymbopogon nardus, that has citrus-scented leaves.
- An essential oil obtained from this plant, often used as an insect repellent.