The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word DRAGOMAN
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
D
R
A
G
O
M
A
N
More clues leading to the result DRAGOMAN
- Old Ottoman guide, a bore, going to a sultanate in Arabia
- Full of energy, play with new guide
- Guide is bore, old fellow
- Lizard bites a master interpreter
- Guide turning up in the morning, protector of treasure going about
- Interpreter has to continue to entertain academic
- Fiery character with degree retained as old guide
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Old Ottoman guide" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case old ottoman guide = dragoman.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 DRAGOMAN mean?
DRAGOMAN noun- An interpreter, especially for the Arabic and Turkish languages.