The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word FASTENER
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
F
A
S
T
E
N
E
R
More clues leading to the result FASTENER
- Fly, for example, more quickly around North East
- Perhaps catch nothing, upset about cricket practice
- Quickly Frenchman retracted zip?
- One finishing period of self-denial ignoring daughter’s clasp, say?
- Catch person not eating around middle of Lent
- Possibly catch dissolute Frenchman revolting
- Safer net designed for catch, say?
- Dissolute Frenchman rising to become stud?
- Stud perhaps more hasty hiding butt, almost
- Catch one dieting eating nibble, unfilled
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Perhaps catch" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case perhaps catch = fastener.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 FASTENER mean?
FASTENER noun- Something or someone that fastens.
- Mechanically, any device that fastens; especially, a collective term for items such as screws, nuts, washers, clasps, bolts and the like.