Churlish (5)

I think it could be either:

gruff

surly

'churlish' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

This is all the clue.

(Other definitions for gruff that I've seen before include "Abrupt in sound or manner" , "Abrupt in manner - rough and low in pitch" , "Rough-sounding" , "Hoarse" , "Surly -- rough-spoken" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times, the King Feature Syndicate, the Evening Standard, the L.A. Times Magazine, the Newsday.com, The Telegraph, the New York Times, the L.A. Times Sunday and the Wall Street Journal.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.