The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 plus 4 letter word EARLY BIRD
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
E
A
R
L
Y
B
I
R
D
More clues leading to the result EARLY BIRD
- Worm catcher, one up at cockcrow?
- . One’s first in library, possibly securing edition? On the contrary
- Almost out of new porridge, one will surely get the breakfast
- First flier gets the breakfast?
- Barry lied about being the first up
- Chorus singer arriving in good time?
- Noble woman embracing unknown, who won’t linger in bed
- Lark about with the milkman, perhaps?
- Like a noble flier, one with time to spare?
- Before term, term one rising ahead of others
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "the first up" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case the first up = early bird.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.