The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word CREMATE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
C
R
E
M
A
T
E
More clues leading to the result CREMATE
- Burn wooden case outside empty emporium
- Make boxes millions burn
- Reversing car, took in fuel to burn
- Make a fuss about mass way to dispose of bodies
- Mother in Greek island to burn up
- Say adieu to band cherished by Ms Blanchett
- The alternative to bury compiler back in box
- Place hollow elm in box and burn
- Burn marks inside hatch
- Burn coffin containing final remains of late groom
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "The alternative to bury" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case the alternative to bury = cremate.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 CREMATE mean?
CREMATE verb- To burn something to ashes.
- To incinerate a dead body (as an alternative to burial).