Cryptic crossword clue
Surprises wife, lurking in recessed place in field

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word WOWS

I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
W
O
W
S

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Surprises" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case surprises = wows.
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 WOWS mean?

WOWS noun
  1. Anything exceptionally surprising, unbelievable, outstanding, etc.
WOWS verb
  1. To amaze or awe.
WOWS noun
  1. (audio) A relatively slow form of flutter (pitch variation) which can affect both gramophone records and tape recorders.

Latest crossword clues with full explanations