Cryptic crossword clue
Stay away from poor Don, surrounded by personnel 5,3

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 plus 3 letter word STAND OFF

I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
S
T
A
N
D
O
F
F

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Stay away from" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case stay away from = stand off.
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 STAND OFF mean?

STAND OFF noun
  1. Fly-half
STAND OFF noun
  1. A device which maintains a fixed distance between two objects, especially between a surface and a sign or electrical wiring.
  2. A deadlocked confrontation between antagonists (see stand off and verb below).

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