Cryptic crossword clue
Brush back soiled tiles, most sturdy 8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word BURLIEST

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
B
U
R
L
I
E
S
T

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "most sturdy" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case most sturdy = burliest.
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 BURLIEST mean?

BURLIEST adjective
  1. (usually of a man) Large, well-built, and muscular.
  2. (East End of London) Great, amazing, unbelievable.
  3. (surf culture and/or Southern California) Of large magnitude, either good or bad, and sometimes both.

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