The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word SNIPING
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Veiled criticism" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case veiled criticism = sniping.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 SNIPING mean?
SNIPING verb- To hunt snipe.
- To shoot at individuals from a concealed place.
- (by extension) To shoot with a sniper rifle.
- To watch a timed online auction and place a winning bid against (the current high bidder) at the last possible moment.
- To nose (a log) to make it drag or slip easily in skidding.
- (ice hockey slang) To score a goal.
- To move the ball quickly in a different direction.
- To make malicious, underhand remarks or attacks.
- To attach a note or sticker to (an existing poster) to provide further information, political criticism, etc.
- A shooting from a concealed place.