The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word ANTERIOR
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
A
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More clues leading to the result ANTERIOR
- . Dubious retraction court dismissed earlier
- Near riot breaks out towards the front
- Preceding or following tear in pants
- Soldier with fury moving to the back or to the front
- Mocking beheaded French king, ascendant before
- Creepy-crawly’s reportedly creepier in front
- In front, man’s centre, Queen in fantastic intro
- Crashing into rear in front
- Former area far from the coast, not island
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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 ANTERIOR mean?
ANTERIOR adjective- Before in place.
- Before or earlier in time; prior to; preceding.
- Nearer the forward end; nearer the head of an animal or the front of a human.