The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word SVENGALI
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
S
V
E
N
G
A
L
I
More clues leading to the result SVENGALI
- Evil hypnotist’s son leaving to reform
- Spiritual leader leaving out charmer
- Very genial snakes under cap of snake charmer
- Nag Elvis about Col Tom Parker?
- Mistress finally leaving terrible control freak
- Scandinavian boy and girl, first to identify evil manipulator
- Amorous manager’s given girl one – he’s very persuasive
- Hypnotist close to tears, upset leaving
- Bad musician sang — vile wobbling
- A compelling figure in orchestration, Gil Evans
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "A compelling figure" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case a compelling figure = svengali.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 SVENGALI mean?
SVENGALI noun- One who manipulates or controls another as by some mesmeric or sinister influence; especially a coach, mentor or industry mogul.