The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 letter word SEAMSTRESS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
S
E
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M
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More clues leading to the result SEAMSTRESS
- Main trauma overwhelming married needlewoman
- Too much of this and she’ll have to stitch up your trousers!
- Master’s translated letter for hands-on worker
- Sewer in the main street runs with muck outside
- Sewer rat messes about on top of sludge
- Reportedly spot female hair in sewer
- Singer may help her trace of Mancunian accent
- Pressure beneath same cracked sewer?
- Main pressure contains opening of main sewer
- Terrible messes with rats in sewer
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "hands-on worker" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case hands-on worker = seamstress.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 SEAMSTRESS mean?
SEAMSTRESS noun- A woman who sews clothes professionally.