Cryptic crossword clue
I would take in a r-river briefly, getting soaked 8

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

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

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "soaked" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case soaked = immersed.
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 IMMERSED mean?

IMMERSED verb
  1. To put under the surface of a liquid; to dunk.
  2. To involve or engage deeply.
  3. To map into an immersion.
IMMERSED adjective
  1. Under the surface of a liquid; sunk.
  2. Deeply involved.

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