Cryptic crossword clue
Newspaper entering shabby motels, sinister in the extreme 8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word LEFTMOST

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
L
E
F
T
M
O
S
T

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "sinister in the extreme" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case sinister in the extreme = leftmost.
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 LEFTMOST mean?

LEFTMOST adjective
  1. Furthest to the left.

Latest crossword clues with full explanations