Cryptic crossword clue
Feared extremely deadly criminal, and paid up 8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word DEFRAYED

D
E
F
R
A
Y
E
D

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "paid up" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case paid up = defrayed.
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 DEFRAYED mean?

DEFRAYED verb
  1. To spend (money).
  2. To pay or discharge (a debt, expense etc.); to meet (the cost of something).
  3. To pay for (something).

Latest crossword clues with full explanations