The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word KICK-ASS
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
K
I
C
K
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A
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S
More clues leading to the result KICK-ASS
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "great" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case great = kick-ass.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 KICK-ASS mean?
KICK-ASS adjective- Rough, aggressive; powerful and successful.
- Excellent, first-class.