The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word SPLATTER
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
S
P
L
A
T
T
E
R
More clues leading to the result SPLATTER
- Splash when soup initially meets dish
- Drop of liquid stuff initially dumped on plate
- Disperse liquid in small dish
- Spilling blobs, make mess on small disk
- Display prominently in small dish
- Second page, second splash
- Topping of signature dish making a splash
- Splash made by second record in America
- Second dish or some liquid?
- Shower drops on small dish
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Drop of liquid" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case drop of liquid = splatter.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 SPLATTER mean?
SPLATTER noun- An uneven shape or mess created by something dispersing on impact.
- A genre of gory horror.
- To splash; to scatter; to land or strike in an uneven, distributed mess.
- To cause (something) to splatter.
- To spatter (something or somebody).