The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word TERRAPIN
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
T
E
R
R
A
P
I
N
More clues leading to the result TERRAPIN
- Reptile quietly buried in ground
- Easy goal to catch stray reptile
- One shelled out to get a printer?
- Carp’s tail gripped by land animal
- Animal shot from close range, slip concealed
- Parking’s cut into land for amphibian
- Soft inland turtle
- Quiet inland swimmer
- Turtle quietly burrowing into ground
- Creature taking to water close to township in country
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "swimmer" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case swimmer = terrapin.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 TERRAPIN mean?
TERRAPIN noun- Any of several small turtles, of the families Emydidae and Geoemydidae, that live in fresh or brackish water.