The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word CRONYISM
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
C
R
O
N
Y
I
S
M
More clues leading to the result CRONYISM
- Getting mates in party at end of day — is money overcoming resistance?
- I scorn my corrupt old boy network
- Cons’ miry, dirty, dodgy practice?
- US city is enthralled by source of computer data denying Democrat corruption?
- Turn crimson about unknown Old Boy network
- Hiring discrimination is admitted by leaderless NASA, e.g.
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "old boy network" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case old boy network = cronyism.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 CRONYISM mean?
CRONYISM noun- Favoritism to friends without regard for their qualifications, especially by appointing them to political positions.