The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word SHOELACE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
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More clues leading to the result SHOELACE
- Line that stops tongue moving, twisted in knots?
- It's tied over in Chelsea ground
- Oxford tie features small spade and spike
- One’s tied up in Oxford
- One attached to an arrangement of holes?
- An Oxford connection?
- Oxford tie?
- As a result of which Oxford could be closed
- Heard to send away fine material on foot
- Pump fast with this?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "One’s tied up in Oxford" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case one’s tied up in oxford = shoelace.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 SHOELACE mean?
SHOELACE noun- A lace used for fastening a shoe.