The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word TWELFTH
I've seen this crossword clue in The Sunday Telegraph
T
W
E
L
F
T
H
More clues leading to the result TWELFTH
- Ordinal left with less information originally, after amendment
- Interval of time before aircraft finally flew back home
- Will’s night flight flew there, partly travelling west
- Indicating position as some might, flew Tornado from East
- Interval between notes that soared in sober hearts
- The night after 1/11?
- Following first eleven — almost time for play
- Extra portion from baker’s man in reserve
- Night of free choice?
- Leaders of wayside looters join in theft organised one day before the 13th
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "play" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case play = twelfth.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 TWELFTH mean?
TWELFTH noun- One of twelve equal parts of a whole.
- An interval equal to an octave plus a fifth
- The ordinal form of the number twelve, describing a person or thing in position number 12 of a sequence.