The Clue
Pencils that have seen better days (5 letter answer)
The Answer
STUBS
Tags
Notes
The answer STUBS is rarely seen, appearing only about once every 1000 puzzles.
Related Clues
Ashtray occupants
Check mates
Check mates?
Check records?
Checkbook leftovers
Cigar ends
Short projections
Short smokes
Some pencils
Ticket parts
Pencils, toward the end
Worn-down crayons
Used-up checkbook, perhaps
Definition
STUB as a noun:
1. a short piece remaining on a trunk or stem where a branch is lost
2. (nub, stub) = a small piece; "a nub of coal"; "a stub of a pencil"
3. (stub, ticket stub) = a torn part of a ticket returned to the holder as a receipt
4. (stub, check stub, counterfoil) = the part of a check that is retained as a record
5. (butt, stub) = the small unused part of something (especially the end of a cigarette that is left after smoking)
STUB as a verb:
1. pull up (weeds) by their roots
2. extinguish by crushing; "stub out your cigarette now"
3. clear of weeds by uprooting them; "stub a field"
4. strike (one's toe) accidentally against an object; "She stubbed her toe in the dark and now it's broken"