The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word FLAMBEAU
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
F
L
A
M
B
E
A
U
More clues leading to the result FLAMBEAU
- Torch, a virtually full beam lit up
- Female to escape with boyfriend — this may light up the way
- Torch made of iron and gold carried by Mary's companion
- A fumble, a failure: torch it!
- Light hit lover with force on head
- Torch carried by Florida married boyfriend
- Female left male lover carrying a torch
- Following short, weak lover, held torch
- Complaint about beam thrown by a torch
- Boyfriend joins family across capital, ultimately to see Olympic Torch?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "torch" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case torch = flambeau.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 FLAMBEAU mean?
FLAMBEAU noun- A burning torch, especially one carried in procession.