The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word CASANOVA
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
C
A
S
A
N
O
V
A
More clues leading to the result CASANOVA
- He wooed many, initially counting as a star
- Rake over very small area below Italian mansion, bottom of garden
- He loved it back in Avon as a child
- Rake nearly ready a month before start of autumn
- He often scored century, like a star
- Womaniser, as no other, is into sparkling wine
- Italian sculptor welcomes a second lover
- Ladies’ man‘s old hospital round interrupts drink
- Italian man of affairs
- South American number welcomed by wine lover
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "lover" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case lover = casanova.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.