The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word XYLOSE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
X
Y
L
O
S
E
Buddy explains!
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 XYLOSE mean?
XYLOSE noun- One of the pentoses, C5H10O5, a white crystalline sugar, derived from wood.