The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word MUSKRAT
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
M
U
S
K
R
A
T
More clues leading to the result MUSKRAT
- Maiden on river upset sailor's rodent
- Fur’s an essential if covering chest over
- . Rodent smell surrounds retrograde animal sanctuary
- Mammal – something necessary when housing revolutionary collection of animals
- Essential to take boat west to spot the beaver
- Animal shelter overturned, engulfed by unpleasant smell of animal
- Vole-like creature climbing boat overwhelmed by damp smell
- Rodent problem arising before otter briefly turned up
- Fur essential covering chest over
- Creature in rolling vessel in dangerous frenzy
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "beaver" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case beaver = muskrat.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 MUSKRAT mean?
MUSKRAT noun- A large aquatic rodent (Ondatra zibethicus).
- Any of several species of shrews in the family Soricidae, especially the Asian house shrew, Suncus murinus