The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word SHEBANG
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
S
H
E
B
A
N
G
More clues leading to the result SHEBANG
- Report on woman's affair
- Affair coming as blow to the lady?
- Situation where report written after book
- The terms of this fresh scheme absolutely matter!
- Informed about Hebrews’ affair
- As was the queen of biblical kingdom — good for an affair
- Report following female subject’s affair
- Report following that woman’s affair
- Entire operation of the female thrill
- Affair began uneasily after quiet
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "matter" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case matter = shebang.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 SHEBANG mean?
SHEBANG noun- A lean-to or temporary shelter.
- A place or building; a store, saloon, or brothel.
- Any matter of present concern; thing; or business; most commonly in the phrase "the whole shebang".
- A vehicle.
- The character string "#!" used at the beginning of a computer file to indicate which interpreter can process the commands in the file, chiefly used in Unix and related operating systems.