Cryptic crossword clue
Pallid quality a bad sign in clarets, perhaps season's first 8

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

I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
W
A
X
I
N
E
S
S

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Pallid quality" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case pallid quality = waxiness.
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.

Latest crossword clues with full explanations