The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word PUPPETRY
I've seen this crossword clue in The Sunday Telegraph
P
U
P
P
E
T
R
Y
More clues leading to the result PUPPETRY
- Giving youngster exercise, experience that involves manipulation
- Work with strings attached on dog, nothing less than the best words
- Fool losing head getting to peer round moving images?
- Two dogs maybe seen by railway — those involved should be strung up
- Manipulation of figures elevated favourite — be curious about it
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Manipulation of figures" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case manipulation of figures = puppetry.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 PUPPETRY mean?
PUPPETRY noun- The art of making, and performing with puppets
- The action of a puppet, or a stilted or puppet-like dramatic performance
- Finery; affectation