The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word SPINDLE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
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Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "rod" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case rod = spindle.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 SPINDLE mean?
SPINDLE noun- (spinning) A rod used for spinning and then winding natural fibres (especially wool), usually consisting of a shaft and a circular whorl positioned at either the upper or lower end of the shaft when suspended vertically from the forming thread.
- A rod which turns, or on which something turns.
- A rotary axis of a machine tool or power tool.
- Certain of the species of the genus Euonymus, originally used for making the spindles used for spinning wool.
- An upright spike for holding paper documents by skewering.
- The fusee of a watch.
- A long and slender stalk resembling a spindle.
- A yarn measure containing, in cotton yarn, 15,120 yards; in linen yarn, 14,400 yards.
- A solid generated by the revolution of a curved line about its base or double ordinate or chord.
- Any marine univalve shell of the genus Tibia; a spindle stromb.
- Any marine gastropod with a spindle-shaped shell formerly in one of the three invalid genera called Fusus.
- A cytoskeletal structure formed during mitosis
- (coastal New Jersey) a dragonfly, calque of Swedish slända (dragonfly/spindle), introduced by New Sweden settlers.
- To make into a long tapered shape.
- To take on a long tapered shape.
- To impale on a device for holding paper documents.