The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word ASSAYER
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
A
S
S
A
Y
E
R
More clues leading to the result ASSAYER
- Lead analyst perhaps taking Speaker’s role?
- Lead analyst, perhaps, in Speaker’s role?
- One judging purity
- When society philosopher becomes an examiner
- Wasted years following a tip from bogus analyst
- . He checks quality, like for example beer at regular intervals
- He rates one on essay writing
- Wasted years follow as he experiments
- Analyst — idiot always right
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Lead analyst, perhaps" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case lead analyst, perhaps = assayer.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.