The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word BARONESS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
B
A
R
O
N
E
S
S
More clues leading to the result BARONESS
- Save individual on ship — a noblewoman
- Being noble somebody is filling cakes
- Noblewoman I start to see in pubs
- Titled lady one's seen in pubs
- Titled lady one's seen in watering holes
- Titled lady a person’s seen in pubs
- Aristo's joke in pubs succeeded
- Rank boss near useless!
- Titled lady one’s seen in pubs
- E.g. Thatcher’s veto of letter
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Rank" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case rank = baroness.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 BARONESS mean?
BARONESS noun- The wife of a baron.
- A woman holding a baronial title in her own right; a female ruler of a barony.