The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word SEXTANT
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
S
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T
A
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More clues leading to the result SEXTANT
- It beat time, a guide when one’s at sea
- How’s your father to beat time as part of a circle?
- Instrument from south still in existence
- Old navigational tool, special and still in use
- Small surviving navigational instrument
- Navigational aid still around with southern heading
- Son's still surviving with this instrument
- Sailor’s first surviving navigation device
- Second surviving navigational aid
- Columbus’s last surviving navigator’s instrument
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "a guide when one’s at sea" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case a guide when one’s at sea = sextant.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 SEXTANT mean?
SEXTANT noun- A navigational device for deriving angular distances between objects so as to determine latitude and longitude.
- One sixth of a circle or disc; a sector with an angle of 60°.
- One of six groups of adjacent teeth, excluding the wisdom teeth. The front sextants go from canine to canine, and there are sextants on the right and left of these. See w:Periodontal examination.