The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word PIKESTAFF
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
P
I
K
E
S
T
A
F
F
More clues leading to the result PIKESTAFF
- Take fish with rod, it’s plain
- Old handle for blade of voracious fish workers
- Crew after fish — is that plain?
- Handle fish on southern British river
- Man after fish with handle of weapon
- Handle fish on southern river
- Fish workers’ means of effecting a run-through
- A plain standard
- Support for an old weapon is perfectly clear
- It is plain that man is being pursued by carnivorous fish
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "means of effecting a run-through" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case means of effecting a run-through = pikestaff.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 PIKESTAFF mean?
PIKESTAFF noun- The wooden shaft of a pike.
- A staff with a spike in the lower end, to guard against slipping.