The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 plus 2 plus 8 letter word TOWER OF STRENGTH
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
T
O
W
E
R
O
F
S
T
R
E
N
G
T
H
More clues leading to the result TOWER OF STRENGTH
- Powerful tractor perhaps one you can depend on
- Having to cover debtor’s fine might be a great help
- Great support for the worst gent seen to be misguided
- True supporter prepared for north gets wet
- Sadly forget North-West must find great support
- Trotter, when fog’s swirling around, needs stable lad?
- Wrong test for the oddly reliable person
- Powerful rescue vehicle is a great help
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Great support" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case great support = tower of strength.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.