The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 plus 4 letter word MINUS SIGN
M
I
N
U
S
S
I
G
N
More clues leading to the result MINUS SIGN
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "-" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case - = minus sign.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.