The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word IMPALA
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
I
M
P
A
L
A
More clues leading to the result IMPALA
- Emperor accepted in Tuileries Palace, the prodigious bounder
- Nearly spear a graceful antelope
- Journalist’s left skewered by a horned beast
- Food for Africans sometimes stored in Blenheim Palace
- Almost transfix a native of Africa
- Almost spear a horned animal
- Naughty child meeting a large American animal
- Almost spear adult beast
- Myself and friend mum’s enveloped in fantastic jumper
- The beast of Blenheim Palace?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "animal" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case animal = impala.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 IMPALA mean?
IMPALA noun- An African antelope, Aepyceros melampus, noted for its leaping ability; the male has ridged, curved horns.