Cryptic crossword clue
Formed crowds where king is sitting down holding grand opening 8

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

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
T
H
R
O
N
G
E
D

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Formed crowds" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case formed crowds = thronged.
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 THRONGED mean?

THRONGED verb
  1. To crowd into a place, especially to fill it.
  2. To congregate.
  3. To crowd or press, as persons; to oppress or annoy with a crowd of living beings.

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