Cryptic crossword clue
Tube lifted to reveal unsightly marks 5

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word WARTS

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
W
A
R
T
S

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "unsightly marks" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case unsightly marks = warts.
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 WARTS mean?

WARTS noun
  1. A type of deformed growth occurring on the skin caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV).
  2. Any similar growth occurring in plants or animals, such as the parotoid glands in the back of toads.
  3. Any of the prefixes used in Hungarian notation.

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