Cryptic crossword clue
I was absorbed by poet before coming up for air 8

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

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
E
M
E
R
S
I
O
N

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "coming up for air" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case coming up for air = emersion.
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 EMERSION mean?

EMERSION noun
  1. Emergence, especially from the water.
  2. The reappearance of a heavenly body after being eclipsed by another or by the sun's brightness.

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