The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word DYESTUFF
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
D
Y
E
S
T
U
F
F
More clues leading to the result DYESTUFF
- Colouring or baking agent lacking in a filling pudding
- Anil perhaps heard to choke on jam?
- Colouring that’s unknown, established for use in pudding
- Right time to put on pants and woad?
- Colourant below standard? Certainly time to go into that
- Colouring agent‘s no good without positive temperature
- What sounds like woman’s strong colouring substance
- Right kind of shirt to spread bad substance used for colouring
- Extremely hard, yes, said to be hard to get the pigment
- Means of staining poor-quality trousers, rather tight in front
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Means of staining" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case means of staining = dyestuff.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 DYESTUFF mean?
DYESTUFF noun- Any soluble pigment used for dyeing the hair, fabric, etc.