The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word TANGENT
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
T
A
N
G
E
N
T
More clues leading to the result TANGENT
- Touching line by man, a shade over the top?
- Touching line from Brown — polite chap
- Get Ann excited with poet's ultimate touching line
- Very different topic has fellow on strike
- Line upset Nationalist fellow
- Touching line by chap written on bronze
- Close to engagement to one man: I touch ring at one point
- A touching feature of Dynasty
- Beat man to line
- One touching line of smack sent for execution
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "toucher" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case toucher = tangent.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 TANGENT mean?
TANGENT noun- A straight line touching a curve at a single point without crossing it there.
- A function of an angle that gives the ratio of the sine to the cosine, in either the real or complex numbers. Symbols: tan, tg.
- A topic nearly unrelated to the main topic, but having a point in common with it.
- A small metal blade in a clavichord that strikes the strings to produce sound.
- Touching a curve at a single point but not crossing it at that point.
- Of a topic, only loosely related to a main topic.