The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word SQUADDIE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
S
Q
U
A
D
D
I
E
More clues leading to the result SQUADDIE
- Private soldier, second one of four to go west
- Soldier is one of four captured by other side
- Soldier has injured side, run into by four-wheeled vehicle
- Private side subtly restricts one sibling in four
- Leader of stormtroopers is before court to lose his life like a soldier
- Ordinary soldier’s tragic end, protecting queen
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 = squaddie.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 SQUADDIE mean?
SQUADDIE noun- A private in the army.