Cryptic crossword clue
Quietly changes shapes in advance 8

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

I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
P
R
E
F
O
R
M
S

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The straight part
We know that "shapes in advance" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case shapes in advance = preforms.
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.

Crossword Answer definitions

PREFORMS noun
  1. An object that has undergone preliminary shaping but is not yet in its final form.
  2. The rough, incomplete and unused basic form of a stone tool.
  3. A word that is no longer in use, but has been reconstructed from current ones.
PREFORMS verb
  1. To shape something before some other operation.

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