The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word THIEVERY
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
T
H
I
E
V
E
R
Y
More clues leading to the result THIEVERY
- One entertained by the extremely wicked act
- One engaged in the actual job of abstraction
- Stealing hearts during match, especially
- Husband in bind’s really taking offence
- This must be detailed with each burglary?
- Article about this writer and really criminal act
- I always engaged in your old dishonesty
- Article about one extremely dishonest activity
- One consumed by the very acts of burglary.
- One caught in the very act of stealing
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "criminal act" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case criminal act = thievery.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 THIEVERY mean?
THIEVERY noun- The act of theft, the act of stealing.
- That which is stolen.