The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 plus 5 letter word ROCK OPERA
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
R
O
C
K
O
P
E
R
A
More clues leading to the result ROCK OPERA
- Perhaps Tommy Cooper’s floundering with idea for trick, ultimately
- Tommy’s one holding sway over quiet period
- E.g. Tommy Cooper, funny artist, masking trick’s finale
- Create a rope for Tommy, perhaps?
- Tommy could be playing poker with Cora
- Time when You’ll Never Walk Alone was sung by legendary giant in musical show
- Perhaps Tommy’s stone works
- Show how you can make a rope
- Tommy, among others, changed Korea crop
- Who developed this form runs rings round half of pack given pressure and time
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Perhaps Tommy" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case perhaps tommy = rock opera.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.