The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word CARYATID
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
C
A
R
Y
A
T
I
D
More clues leading to the result CARYATID
- Grant a leader in the papers a column
- Grant aid — about time for supporting female
- A little scary - a tidy figure going to support building, perhaps
- Tidy a car nervously for draped female figure
- Supporting female scientist crossing river from the south
- Arty cad, I fancy, getting female made of stone for support
- It always turns up in eccentric sort of column
- Female pillar of support?
- Outstanding lady in Greek architecture?
- Grant a true passport to Greek columnist?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "female made of stone for support" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case female made of stone for support = caryatid.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 CARYATID mean?
CARYATID noun- A sculpted female figure serving as an architectural element, used as a support for entablature.