The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word SPOONER
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
S
P
O
O
N
E
R
More clues leading to the result SPOONER
- Famous cleric by preference keeping close to bishop
- One inclined to exchange letters, ready to participate in throbbing prose
- So prone to change, his slips provide amusement
- Tongue-tied Oxford don to make love with hesitation
- Piano preferably features for sound mixer?
- Person kissing reverend who would muddle his words
- In earlier page, he made initial errors
- Doctor who might have described himself as a bird-watcher
- This indicates tops have been changed – something Prince Philip used to do in bed!
- Before securing page he made errors in speech
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Famous cleric" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case famous cleric = spooner.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 SPOONER mean?
SPOONER noun- Person who engages in kissing and petting.
- To utter a spoonerism.