The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word HOLMES
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
H
O
L
M
E
S
More clues leading to the result HOLMES
- Foremost among minds that cracks cases?
- Solver needing minutes to fill in gaps
- Detective left to probe dwelling-places
- Detective is first person seen during vacation
- Solver taking time off to defend the setter
- Detective, 50, breaking into houses
- Detective maiden’s needed in difficult situations
- Houses sound detective
- One looking for clues left in houses?
- Say pads for detective
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Foremost among minds that cracks cases" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case foremost among minds that cracks cases = holmes.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 HOLMES mean?
HOLMES noun- An informal term of address, like man or dude.
- Small island, islet.