Cryptic crossword clue
Garden pest misused energy, consuming tops of flowers 8

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

I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
G
R
E
E
N
F
L
Y

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Garden pest" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case garden pest = greenfly.
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 GREENFLY mean?

GREENFLY noun
  1. Any of several kinds of common insects green in color:

Latest crossword clues with full explanations