The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 3 plus 5 letter word FOR KEEPS
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
F
O
R
K
E
E
P
S
More clues leading to the result FOR KEEPS
- Ref spoke in a frenzy, always
- Supporting medieval buildings permanently
- Diverge, argue, make up – friends at last, eternally
- In place of strongholds, indefinitely
- Two-pronged attack by one following Graf back with serious intent
- Permanently in favour of mementoes
- Father guarding old castles on a permanent basis
- Permanently go back into splits
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "on a permanent basis" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case on a permanent basis = for keeps.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.