Cryptic crossword clue
Characters getting on in South Africa protected by foreign father 8

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

I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
P
E
R
S
O
N
A
E

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Characters" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case characters = personae.
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 PERSONAE mean?

PERSONAE noun
  1. A social role.
  2. A character played by an actor.
  3. The mask or appearance one presents to the world.
  4. (user experience) An imaginary person representing a particular type of client or customer, considered when designing products and services that will appeal to them.

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