The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word NEOPHYTE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
N
E
O
P
H
Y
T
E
More clues leading to the result NEOPHYTE
- Being a tiro one played Clash on the radio
- They open out for novice
- One freshly converted to make war, say
- Dicky, 23, extremely earnest about becoming a novice
- Novice making a mess of one contest, say
- Novitiate, one they ordered to keep quiet
- Close combat, say, for raw recruit
- They open, exceptionally, for a new convert
- One, possibly probationary
- Novice one prepared to wrestle, say
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "One freshly converted to make war, say" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case one freshly converted to make war, say = neophyte.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 NEOPHYTE mean?
NEOPHYTE noun- A beginner; a person who is new to a subject, skill, or belief.
- A novice (recent convert); a new convert or proselyte; a new monk.
- A name given by the early Christians, and still given by the Roman Catholics, to those who have recently embraced the Christian faith, and been admitted to baptism, especially those converts from heathenism or Judaism.
- A plant species recently introduced to an area (in contrast to archaeophyte, a long-established introduced species).