The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word KEYNOTE
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
K
E
Y
N
O
T
E
More clues leading to the result KEYNOTE
- Such a speech is a tonic
- Central theme in books grasped by reformist, mostly
- Major books hoarded by economist briefly
- Leading economist briefly goes over books
- Eager to finish early, accepting Blair perhaps brought up the central theme
- Enter, perhaps, and take heed of central principle
- Economist endlessly goes over old time that is critical
- The basic idea that's central to monkey not evolving
- Sort of speech that’s in tune with the main theme?
- Spooner’s joint covering vital message
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Leading" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case leading = keynote.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 KEYNOTE mean?
KEYNOTE noun- The note on which a musical key is based; the tonic.
- The main theme of a speech, a written work, or a conference.
- A speech that sets the main theme of a conference or other gathering; a keynote speech or keynote address.
- To deliver a speech that sets the main theme of a conference or other gathering.