The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word ADELAIDE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
A
D
E
L
A
I
D
E
More clues leading to the result ADELAIDE
- Antipodean city set down in a river
- Corrupt idea — deal that makes capital
- A short hold-up I had coming down over European city
- In Australia a capital idea and deal that's extraordinary
- A European called up city down under
- Queen saying poisoner behaved like a chicken
- Oz city where British singer gathering support
- A key adviser somewhere in Oz
- Singer retains support in southern capital
- Queen’s adviser possibly supporting dodgy deal
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "capital" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case capital = adelaide.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.