The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word BURNING
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
B
U
R
N
I
N
G
Buddy explains!
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 BURNING mean?
BURNING verb- To cause to be consumed by fire.
- To be consumed by fire, or in flames.
- To overheat so as to make unusable.
- To become overheated to the point of being unusable.
- To make or produce by the application of fire or burning heat.
- To injure (a person or animal) with heat or chemicals that produce similar damage.
- To cauterize.
- To sunburn.
- To consume, injure, or change the condition of, as if by action of fire or heat; to affect as fire or heat does.
- To be hot, e.g. due to embarrassment.
- To cause to combine with oxygen or other active agent, with evolution of heat; to consume; to oxidize.
- To combine energetically, with evolution of heat.
- To write data to a permanent storage medium like a compact disc or a ROM chip.
- To betray.
- To insult or defeat.
- To waste (time); to waste money or other resources.
- In certain games, to approach near to a concealed object which is sought.
- To accidentally touch a moving stone.
- In pontoon, to swap a pair of cards for another pair, or to deal a dead card.
- To increase the exposure for certain areas of a print in order to make them lighter (compare dodge).
- (of an element) To be converted to another element in a nuclear fusion reaction, especially in a star
- To discard.
- To shoot someone with a firearm.
- The act by which something burns or is burned.
- A fire.
- So hot as to seem to burn (something).
- Feeling very hot.
- Feeling great passion.
- Consuming; intense; inflaming; exciting; vehement; powerful.
- Being keenly discussed.