The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word ASHEN
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
A
S
H
E
N
More clues leading to the result ASHEN
- Like female not looking very well
- Very pale, he's an eccentric
- Like bird with greyish appearance
- The girl tucking into a new pasty
- When stag’s other half drained of colour
- Like The Woman in White
- Pale, like chicken
- Starters of aubergine served with chicken pasty
- Pale and birdlike?
- Very pale, like a woman in the Gorbals?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "drained of colour" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case drained of colour = ashen.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 ASHEN mean?
ASHEN adjective- Made from the wood of the ash-tree.
- Of or resembling ashes.
- Ash-colored; pale; anemic, anaemic.
- To turn into ash; make or become ashy
- To make or become pale