Cryptic crossword clue
Description of what Alpine cowherd plays for cow 8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word LONGHORN

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
L
O
N
G
H
O
R
N

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "cow (" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case cow ( = longhorn.
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 LONGHORN mean?

LONGHORN noun
  1. A breed of beef cattle, having long horns, bred in Texas and other parts of southwest United States.

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