The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word HETAERA
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
H
E
T
A
E
R
A
More clues leading to the result HETAERA
- Heart gets broken when embracing aged mistress
- High tea during hard period for concubine
- Classy courtesan — Aretha? Joining Eurythmics, initially? Unlikely!
- Greek goddess accepting one of her characters as mistress
- Prostitute spoils the area
- The wrong time to embrace a mistress
- The area designed for a mistress
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Classy courtesan" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case classy courtesan = hetaera.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 HETAERA mean?
HETAERA noun- A highly cultivated hired female companion who would entertain upper-class male clients and might perform sex acts for them.
- A mistress.