The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word FATHOMED
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
F
A
T
H
O
M
E
D
More clues leading to the result FATHOMED
- Got tip of foot in door at first
- Perceived as carrying much weight in diamonds
- Got to the bottom of friend having no stomach to hold party
- Worked out carrying much weight in diamonds
- Grasped stout and sheltered
- Thick domestic maid finally grasped
- Got fine reception with old copper
- Understood grief at home defeat to some extent
- Worked out food component in starter for dinner
- Understood female in diamonds
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Made sense of" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case made sense of = fathomed.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 FATHOMED mean?
FATHOMED verb- To encircle with outstretched arms, especially to take a measurement; to embrace.
- To measure the depth of, take a sounding of.
- To get to the bottom of; to manage to comprehend; understand (a problem etc.).