The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word CITATION
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
C
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T
A
T
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Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "honourable mention" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case honourable mention = citation.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 CITATION mean?
CITATION noun- An official summons or notice given to a person to appear.
- The paper containing such summons or notice.
- The act of citing a passage from a book, or from another person, in his/her own words.
- An entry in a list of source(s) from which one took information, words or literary or verbal context.
- The passage or words quoted; quotation.
- A quotation with attached bibliographical details demonstrating the use of a particular lexical item in a dictionary, especially a dictionary on historical principles.
- Enumeration; mention.
- A reference to decided cases, or books of authority, to prove a point in law.
- A commendation in recognition of some achievement, or a formal statement of an achievement.