Cryptic crossword clue
For middle of month, put in one unknown soldier, historically 8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word JANIZARY

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
J
A
N
I
Z
A
R
Y

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "soldier, historically" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case soldier, historically = janizary.
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 JANIZARY mean?

JANIZARY noun
  1. An infantry soldier, often of Christian descent and forcibly converted to Islam, in a former elite Turkish (Ottoman) guard (disbanded in 1826); by extension, any Turkish soldier, particularly one escorting a traveller.
  2. An elite, highly loyal supporter.

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