The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word STRAD
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
S
T
R
A
D
More clues leading to the result STRAD
- Preposterous game — it’s a fiddle
- Return game? It’s played with strings attached
- On reflexion, throwing game is expensive fiddle!
- Instrument with arrows pointing north
- Most radioswill need regular tuning
- Dashes back to get precious instrument
- Singular jazz style that Grappelli could have played
- Read about a game one’s played
- Rushes back for musical instrument
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "precious instrument" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case precious instrument = strad.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.