The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word BEDFELLOW
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
B
E
D
F
E
L
L
O
W
More clues leading to the result BEDFELLOW
- Temporary ally departs further education amid outcry
- Colleague’s wife teacher stumbled over first
- Colleague’s cry of pain after some furniture collapsed
- Colleague in Germany happened to have short skirts
- Sleeping partner fled, after hiding under covers
- Ally improbably felled in front of ship
- Sleeping partner
- Close associate‘s bottom sagged — that’s painful!
- Colleague unworthy of covering government department left
- Shout about energy company’s associate
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Close associate" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case close associate = bedfellow.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 BEDFELLOW mean?
BEDFELLOW noun- One with whom one shares a bed.
- An associate, often an otherwise improbable one.