Cryptic crossword clue
What writer seeks, only in small quantity 3,5

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 3 plus 5 letter word MOT JUSTE

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
M
O
T
J
U
S
T
E

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "What writer seeks" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case what writer seeks = mot juste.
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.

Crossword Answer definitions

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