The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word FRINGE
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
F
R
I
N
G
E
More clues leading to the result FRINGE
- Bang bell cast in iron
- Surrey’s top feature, musically
- Unconventional kind of college admitting shady group
- Unofficial border
- Gang surrounded by iron border
- Bang handle right near the top
- Unconventional iron telephone kept inside
- Unofficial digit, back into second place
- Boundary made by iron-clad circle
- Edge of hoop bound with iron
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Unofficial" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case unofficial = fringe.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 FRINGE mean?
FRINGE noun- Hair hanging over the forehead.
- A hairstyle including such hair, especially cut straight across the forehead.
- Brucellosis, a bacterial disease.
- A decorative border.
- A marginal or peripheral part.
- Those members of a political party, or any social group, holding unorthodox views.
- The periphery of a town or city.
- A light or dark band formed by the diffraction of light.
- Non-mainstream theatre.
- The peristome or fringe-like appendage of the capsules of most mosses.
- The area around the green
- Used attributively with reference to Aboriginal people living on the edge of towns etc.
- A daypart that precedes or follows prime time.
- To decorate with fringe.
- To serve as a fringe.
- Outside the mainstream.