The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 3 plus 6 letter word THE MIKADO
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
T
H
E
M
I
K
A
D
O
More clues leading to the result THE MIKADO
- Kid at home prepared for light work
- Make hit plays and perform amusing opera
- Comic opera upset kid at home
- Japanese theme on the menu at The Savoy?
- Those people, unlikable at heart, perform opera
- Emperor and unruly kid at home
- Strange kid, at home with comic opera
- Mike had to play leading part in operetta
- Strangely, Mike had to work on stage
- Material on reflection retaining edge before a party that’s staged regularly?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "light work" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case light work = the mikado.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.