Cryptic crossword clue
Person trying to win prizes, Spooner’s excited gambler? 9

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word POTHUNTER

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
P
O
T
H
U
N
T
E
R

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Person trying to win prizes" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case person trying to win prizes = pothunter.
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 POTHUNTER mean?

POTHUNTER noun
  1. A person who hunts animals for food (for the pot) rather than as sport.
  2. (by extension) A person who competes solely to win prizes.
  3. A person who seeks artifacts for their personal collection or to sell without regard to their cultural importance.

Latest crossword clues with full explanations