The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 plus 1 plus 5 letter word WELL I NEVER
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
W
E
L
L
I
N
E
V
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R
More clues leading to the result WELL I NEVER
- Good batting at all times by George!
- My wife gets call to wake up about noon
- Me always sick? There’s a surprise
- Thoroughly at home, always? Surely not!
- Enjoying a good relationship? First Lady’s reticent at first — I wasn’t expecting that …
- Very much at home, always gracious!
- Gosh! Oil supplier, popular always
- My wife wants wake-up call round about noon
- On friendly terms always? Fancy that!
- Perfectly at home always? Surely not!
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "gracious!" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case gracious! = well i never.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.