The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word OVIPAROUS
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
O
V
I
P
A
R
O
U
S
More clues leading to the result OVIPAROUS
- Like birds round celebrity endlessly excite
- As some layers, over six, on Greek island that ships uranium
- As layers are initially peeled off, various characters transform
- Like a mother hen, getting some macho VIP aroused
- As some layers – over six – on Greek island that ships uranium
- It’s obvious about parrot – it’s not b—– rubbish when it comes to egg-laying!
- Unionist blocks another proviso primarily affecting egg producing
- Egg-bearing Di dropped out of avoirdupois programme
- A proviso arranged about university as a layer perhaps
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "egg-laying" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case egg-laying = oviparous.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 OVIPAROUS mean?
OVIPAROUS adjective- Egg-laying; depositing eggs that develop and hatch outside the body as a reproductive strategy.