The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word OFFENDER
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
O
F
F
E
N
D
E
R
More clues leading to the result OFFENDER
- Malefactor’s death in hand
- Bid to imprison complete delinquent
- Criminal volunteer gets to finish inside
- Proposal to confine dying criminal
- Criminal bid to secure target
- Criminal purpose concealed by volunteer
- Unsatisfactory person winding up a criminal
- Criminal proposal to compass death
- Miscreant makes proposition about the outcome
- Criminal purpose in proposal
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Miscreant" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case miscreant = offender.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 OFFENDER mean?
OFFENDER noun- One who gives or causes offense, or does something wrong.
- A person who commits an offense against the law, a lawbreaker.