The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 letter word CHATELAINE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
C
H
A
T
E
L
A
I
N
E
More clues leading to the result CHATELAINE
- Feline woman binding husband in chains
- Talk with woman, mistress of big house
- Have conversation with woman housekeeper
- Housekeeper to speak to girl
- “I hate to clean”, reveals housekeeper
- Talk with girl, French mistress
- Talk with woman, the lady of the house
- Each tale in novel showing female in domestic charge
- Talk with female, the lady of the house
- Talk with Jerry Seinfeld’s friend, “the Queen of her domain”
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "chains" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case chains = chatelaine.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 CHATELAINE mean?
CHATELAINE noun- The mistress of a castle or large household.
- A chain or clasp worn at the waist by women with handkerchief, keys, etc., attached, supposed to resemble the chain of keys once worn by medieval chatelaines.
- A similar thing in miniature attached to a watchchain.