Cryptic crossword clue
Why ropes finally put in line for item on the mainmast 7

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word TRYSAIL

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
T
R
Y
S
A
I
L

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "item on the mainmast" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case item on the mainmast = trysail.
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 TRYSAIL mean?

TRYSAIL noun
  1. A small, strong three-sided sail sometimes set in place of the mainsail in heavy weather.

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