The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word SPOUSES
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
S
P
O
U
S
E
S
More clues leading to the result SPOUSES
- European skipping champions
- Mates from ship receiving employment on nocturnal vessel
- Southern post office applies for partners
- Piousness sadly lacking in partners
- Partners drench protesters’ leader in seconds
- Work in retirement and employment on board for partners
- Humourless manipulation accepted by ship’s mates
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "partners" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case partners = spouses.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 SPOUSES mean?
SPOUSES noun- A person in a marriage or marital relationship.
- To wed; to espouse.