The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word ARGONAUT
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
A
R
G
O
N
A
U
T
More clues leading to the result ARGONAUT
- Adventurous sailor gets a drink knocked back, when in a boring routine
- Gas and precious metal, given time, yield an old form of salt
- Rat guano affected legendary sailor
- Sailor nearly lost gold aboard craft
- Mary unwrapped sticky nougat for old crew member
- See a goat run around, one on an adventure
- Flying on a rug, a true mythic adventurer
- Jason’s mate, perhaps, from North American university drawn into slang
- Unopened load – mixed tuna and octopus
- 13a
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Adventurous sailor" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case adventurous sailor = argonaut.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 ARGONAUT mean?
ARGONAUT noun- Any of several species of shelled octopods of the family Argonautidae (of which only the genus Argonauta is not extinct).
- An adventurer on a dangerous but rewarding quest.