The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word SHORTLIST
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More clues leading to the result SHORTLIST
- Final few candidates drink and heel over
- Little tip for final applicants
- Brief tip for candidates to be interviewed
- Little inclination to select suitable candidates
- Final candidates keel over after strong drink
- Candidates chosen for spirit and inclination
- Li’s preferences?
- . Quick tip for potential winners here
- Lost shirt fabricated
- Final selection of those from whom seven are chosen to appear with Snow White?
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "preferences" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case preferences = shortlist.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 SHORTLIST mean?
SHORTLIST noun- A list of candidates selected from a longer list, and from which one or more successful candidates are in turn selected.
- To place something on a short list