The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word ERODE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
E
R
O
D
E
More clues leading to the result ERODE
- Wear down Queen with celebratory poem
- Grind away before sealing arrangement with bank
- Be worn out before swallowing possibly lethal quantity
- Degrade what a Norseman did in speech?
- Depreciate how Cockney cavalryman travelled
- Earl went on horseback to eat away
- Cicero depicts bracing weather
- Wear down the Queen with dedicatory verse
- Wear down Queen with poem
- Undermine what ‘orseman did
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Wear down" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case wear down = erode.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 ERODE mean?
ERODE verb- To wear away by abrasion, corrosion or chemical reaction.
- To destroy gradually by an ongoing process.