The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word SPEARHEAD
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
S
P
E
A
R
H
E
A
D
More clues leading to the result SPEARHEAD
- Fruit the man carried in blue van?
- One with leading role moved fast to trap a bird
- Lead that woman with a daughter to eat fruit
- Lead at this place went very fast, for Spooner
- Lead weapon used by chief
- Fruit man loaded into blue van
- Extremely delicious fruit man features on poster campaign as lead
- Lead shape – a red shape
- Lead and fruit buried with the man in grave
- Lead piping originally found in burn by principal
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "lead" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case lead = spearhead.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 SPEARHEAD mean?
SPEARHEAD noun- The pointed head, or end, of a spear.
- One who leads or initiates an activity (such as an attack or a campaign).
- The leading military unit in an attack.
- A player who initiates attacking moves.
- To drive or campaign ardently for, as an effort, project, etc.