Cryptic crossword clue
Quiet worker in East End suspended silk fabric 8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word SHANTUNG

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "silk fabric" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case silk fabric = shantung.
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 SHANTUNG mean?

SHANTUNG noun
  1. A heavy fabric, with a rough surface, made from wild silk.
  2. A fabric of some other material having the same characteristics.

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