The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word DEHISCE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
D
E
H
I
S
C
E
More clues leading to the result DEHISCE
- Burst of French welcomes civil engineer
- Burst of French welcome — that is, when meeting English
- Incarcerated in Swaleside, his cell burst open
- What is in Washington? Start to explore and gape
- Bananas she iced burst open
- Pop chides unruly issue at last
- Sound made by river, sound made by rupture
- Ed's back while his church's split open
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "gape" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case gape = dehisce.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 DEHISCE mean?
DEHISCE verb- To burst or split open at definite places, discharging seeds, pollen or similar content.
- To rupture or break open, as a surgical wound.