The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word PASSWORD
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
P
A
S
S
W
O
R
D
More clues leading to the result PASSWORD
- Romantic approach and solemn promise that gives access to secrets?
- Old man’s blade that’s acquired for hacking?
- Fool set up foil for one means of access
- Entry requirement for father’s weapon
- Die before undertaking parole at camp
- Old men perhaps foil security measure
- Relatives given weapon with access code
- The utterance of a friend?
- Dozy fool not unknown to turn over secret information
- Idiot returned steel key
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "means of access" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case means of access = password.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 PASSWORD mean?
PASSWORD noun- A word used to gain admittance or to gain access to information; watchword.
- A string of characters used to log in to a computer or network, to access a level in a video game, etc.
- To protect with a password.