The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word MATILDA
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
M
A
T
I
L
D
A
More clues leading to the result MATILDA
- A beastly mother keeping literary retrospective for gifted child
- Carpet laid badly for follower of waltzing?
- A lad — Tim — composed Dahl musical
- Girl landed up in control of parents
- Story of girl on fire turned into unbalanced article
- Warm embraces attending a musical for children
- Children’s book laid out on rug
- Dahl book one lad tossed on rug
- Carpet laid out for queen
- Dull lad awkwardly holding one lass waltzing?
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "follower of waltzing" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case follower of waltzing = matilda.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 MATILDA mean?
MATILDA noun- A bundle of possessions, often tied up in a sack; a swag.