The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 3 plus 6 letter word BIG DIPPER
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
B
I
G
D
I
P
P
E
R
More clues leading to the result BIG DIPPER
- Thrilling ride: at first boy and I gripped frantically
- Might one really be into 6 stars in a group?
- Large bird in rollercoaster
- American stars – will such make a considerable splash?
- American stars encountered in amusement park
- Well-known pickpocket’s joyride
- Rollercoaster beginning to buckle, one gripped tight
- Thrilling ride, first in Blackpool — one going on gripped tightly
- Rock making comeback — one perhaps described as ‘skinny’ stars
- Great Depression in the Seven Stars
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "American stars" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case american stars = big dipper.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.