The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 plus 4 letter word CARD GAME
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
C
A
R
D
G
A
M
E
More clues leading to the result CARD GAME
- Character ready for war, perhaps?
- Patience, for example, as funny fellow hunted animals
- Scoundrel about right, willing cheat, say?
- Happy families maybe worry about daughter going to school
- Character willing to bring old maid, perhaps
- Bridge? It could be pontoon
- & 23d Bridge possibly graced a Mayan capital
- As per Spooner security staff arrived on bridge, perhaps
- Drag mace over bridge, say
- Bridge, for example, made crag unstable
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "old maid, perhaps" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case old maid, perhaps = card game.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.