The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 letter word FIRE-EATER
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
F
I
R
E
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E
A
T
E
R
More clues leading to the result FIRE-EATER
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Hot meal for this circus artiste" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case hot meal for this circus artiste = fire-eater.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 FIRE-EATER mean?
FIRE-EATER noun- A performer who pretends to swallow fire.
- A quarrelsome or belligerent person.
- An extreme partisan for the South before the US Civil War.