Cryptic crossword clue
Starts to work out — hard abs form? 9

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word WASHBOARD

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
W
A
S
H
B
O
A
R
D

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "hard abs" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case hard abs = washboard.
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 WASHBOARD mean?

WASHBOARD noun
  1. A board with a corrugated surface against which laundry may be rubbed.
  2. Such a board used as a simple percussion instrument.
  3. A board fastened along a ship's gunwale to prevent splashing; a splashboard.
  4. A stretch of ripples or bumps on a dirt or gravel road caused by interaction between traffic and road surface.
  5. Baseboard; skirting board
WASHBOARD verb
  1. To produce a rippled texture on a surface.
  2. To play a washboard.
  3. (bees) To move up and down or back and forth across the surface of a hive, possibly to lay down a layer of propolis and wax.
WASHBOARD noun
  1. A board with a corrugated surface against which laundry may be rubbed.
  2. Such a board used as a simple percussion instrument.
  3. A board fastened along a ship's gunwale to prevent splashing; a splashboard.
  4. A stretch of ripples or bumps on a dirt or gravel road caused by interaction between traffic and road surface.
  5. Baseboard; skirting board
WASHBOARD verb
  1. To produce a rippled texture on a surface.
  2. To play a washboard.
  3. (bees) To move up and down or back and forth across the surface of a hive, possibly to lay down a layer of propolis and wax.

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