The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word PERFORMER
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
P
E
R
F
O
R
M
E
R
More clues leading to the result PERFORMER
- Agent set up yesteryear's entertainer?
- A sometime entertainer
- Entertainer who does what’s required
- According to the late Fred Astaire, say
- Agent set up one-time entertainer
- Some whimper for mercy seeing clown possibly
- It’s improper for merriment to grip actor
- Part of trapper for mercurial actor
- A retired actor?
- One doing something right, type to be embraced by fellow
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Fred Astaire, say" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case fred astaire, say = performer.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 PERFORMER mean?
PERFORMER noun- One who performs for, or entertains, an audience.
- One who performs or does anything.