The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word DOWNBEAT
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
D
O
W
N
B
E
A
T
More clues leading to the result DOWNBEAT
- Something in bar to drink before ecstasy in club
- Relaxed having lowered pulse
- Gloomy signal from the conductor?
- Gloomy individual, embraced by dame, cheers up
- Feeling the blues rhythm without much stress
- Gloomy director gets to admit defeat
- Conductor is likely to make this movement relaxed
- Not bad, we may become pessimistic
- Relaxed, with lowered pulse
- Laid-back approach to date with personal defeat
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "pessimistic" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case pessimistic = downbeat.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 DOWNBEAT mean?
DOWNBEAT noun- The accented beat at the beginning of a bar (indicated by a conductor with a downward stroke).
- Sad or pessimistic.
- Cautiously optimistic.