The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 3 letter word OIL
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
O
I
L
More clues leading to the result OIL
- Fuel in ground, first to come out
- Even pieces from gorilla can constitute a work of art
- Extract sulphur out of earth
- First off, burn fuel
- Work laboriously, lacking time to get fuel
- Steptoe’s lane is over the hill one admitted — strange
- Before heading to Leeds, look here for fuel?
- Two bits left smoother
- Starts to order in lighter fuel
- Work not beginning -- fuel needed
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "smoother" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case smoother = oil.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 OIL mean?
OIL noun- Liquid fat.
- Petroleum-based liquid used as fuel or lubricant.
- An oil painting.
- Oil paint.
- To lubricate with oil.
- To grease with oil for cooking.