The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word KNICKERS
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
K
N
I
C
K
E
R
S
More clues leading to the result KNICKERS
- People who give up stocking new bloomers
- Footballers, say, introducing new underpants
- Underwear thieves picked up
- Thieves after a thousand items of underwear
- Personal item found by whispering burglars?
- Underwear thieves on crack, ultimately
- Underwear thief in Kansas
- Item worn, darn it!
- Report of people stealing clothes-line items?
- They give up introducing new underwear
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Rats/item of clothing" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case rats/item of clothing = knickers.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 KNICKERS mean?
KNICKERS noun- Knickerbockers.
- Women's underpants.
- A mild exclamation of annoyance.