Cryptic crossword clue
Pope briefly hosts American twice in private 4-4

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

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
H
U
S
H
-
H
U
S
H

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "private" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case private = hush-hush.
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 HUSH-HUSH mean?

HUSH-HUSH noun
  1. Secrecy; covert operation
HUSH-HUSH adjective
  1. Secret, not spoken of (or spoken of only in hushed whispers between insiders).

Latest crossword clues with full explanations