Cryptic crossword clue
Dog, not English, quiet and fairly intelligent 8

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

I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
S
H
A
R
P
I
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H

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "fairly intelligent" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case fairly intelligent = sharpish.
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 SHARPISH mean?

SHARPISH adjective
  1. Somewhat sharp (sudden, abrupt).
  2. Somewhat sharp; not blunt.
SHARPISH adverb
  1. Rapidly, soon.

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