The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word ABSCESS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
A
B
S
C
E
S
S
More clues leading to the result ABSCESS
- Boil contents of Arab’s cesspit
- What could give a female science graduate a swelling?
- Swelling muscles tax
- Seamen alongside ship — faithful folk on board for gathering
- Spot sailors taking ship round church
- Gathering sailors’ tax
- Boil at a nonsense tax
- Growth of sailors’ tax
- It may be painful cracking complex cases with hollow bullets
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Swelling/Swelling" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case swelling/swelling = abscess.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 ABSCESS mean?
ABSCESS noun- A cavity caused by tissue destruction, usually because of infection, filled with pus and surrounded by inflamed tissue.
- To form a pus-filled, cavity typically from an infection.