The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word DEFACE
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
D
E
F
A
C
E
More clues leading to the result DEFACE
- Doubly outstanding damage, superficially
- Perhaps scribble on an assortment of notes
- Spoil appearance of part of the cafe, disabled needing a lift
- Fed up with one blemish
- Bored, it’s suggested, with one in ruin
- Two words to indicate fantastic ruin
- Give bad marks to, various grades one repeated
- Paint grafitti with fed-up professional
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "ruin" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case ruin = deface.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 DEFACE mean?
DEFACE verb- To damage or vandalize something, especially a surface, in a visible or conspicuous manner.
- To void or devalue; to nullify or degrade the face value of.
- (flags) To alter a coat of arms or a flag by adding an element to it.