The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word SEAHORSE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
S
E
A
H
O
R
S
E
More clues leading to the result SEAHORSE
- Water running into shore’s rotten – could be ‘dead’ hippo
- Delicate creature, speaking clock needs to rest voice?
- Swimmer heading for airboat in Kent bay?
- Notice said ungulate that’s found in the main
- He’s a sore struggling swimmer
- Fish from seine emptied out and shifted ashore
- Fish cast ashore in Kent, maybe
- Stable one that takes to water?
- Hippo — campus’s main mount
- Notice raspy-sounding animal
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Delicate creature" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case delicate creature = seahorse.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 SEAHORSE mean?
SEAHORSE noun- The walrus.
- Any of various small marine fish of the genus Hippocampus that have a horselike head and swim upright.