The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word PARENTAL
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
P
A
R
E
N
T
A
L
More clues leading to the result PARENTAL
- Dad has system of paying — such is his family duty
- Maybe mother’s personal assistant hiring fee
- Dealing with issue in hiring of personal assistant?
- Annual cost of living perhaps concerning people with children
- Prenatal and paternal problems of mum and dad?
- A payment covered by friend of father, perhaps
- Torn between father and a love initially of mother?
- Friend stifling a tear will get such responsibilities
- A payment covered by friend of mother perhaps
- A payment secured by friend of father and mother?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "mother perhaps" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case mother perhaps = parental.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 PARENTAL mean?
PARENTAL noun- A person fulfilling a parental role.
- Of or relating to a parent
- Befitting a parent; affectionate; tender
- Of the generation of organisms that produce a hybrid