The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word HEADROOM
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
H
E
A
D
R
O
O
M
More clues leading to the result HEADROOM
- Tall drivers enjoy less of this winding road home
- Clearance for Max?
- Max perhaps has the measure of bridge
- Top tract of land rejected for clearance
- Top-level clearance
- Last at Crucible to come in had chance for clearance
- Max may be associated with this space for nuts
- Fell back after principal gets clearance
- Clearance given by boss on range
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "measure of bridge" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case measure of bridge = headroom.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 HEADROOM mean?
HEADROOM noun- The vertical clearance above someone's head, as in a tunnel, doorway etc.
- The vertical measurement, top to bottom, for example for clearance under a bridge.
- The ability of a system to reproduce loud sounds free of distortion; dynamic headroom.
- The distance between the actual performance of an algorithm and its maximum possible performance.