The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word CICERO
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
C
I
C
E
R
O
More clues leading to the result CICERO
- Old Roman company employing decorator
- Arctic ice row engulfs former senator
- Old statesman exercised coercion on leaving
- Diamonds in cargo, oddly, for Roman consul
- Clubs and diamonds run out for consul
- Decorator in company, type that’s close to English
- Roman lawyer, ogre, returned to secure reserve
- In company Eric gets upset by famous orator
- Orator condemned coercion on being rejected
- Classical orator upsets Eric in company
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "consul" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case consul = cicero.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.