The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word CHAMP
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
C
H
A
M
P
More clues leading to the result CHAMP
- Husband in holiday area — a winner
- Fellow boxing minute title-holder
- Winner of set capturing hearts
- Cold meat that’s soft to chew
- Winner has tea with politician
- Title-holder takes tea with politician
- Winner hard to be found in group
- Bubbly? Not half! Winner.
- Male hugs male sporting star
- …defender — tea party representative?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Winner" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case winner = champ.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 CHAMP mean?
CHAMP noun- Buddy, sport, mate (as a term of address)
- An ongoing winner in a game or contest.
- Someone who is chosen to represent a group of people in a contest.
- Someone who fights for a cause or status.
- Someone who fights on another's behalf.
- A meal of mashed potatoes and scallions
- To bite or chew, especially noisily or impatiently.
- Champagne
- (obsolete or rare) the field or ground on which carving appears in relief
- (obsolete or rare) the field of a shield