Cryptic crossword clue
Retreating soldiers save “a line” for sedative 8

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

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
N
E
M
B
U
T
A
L

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "sedative" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case sedative = nembutal.
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 NEMBUTAL mean?

NEMBUTAL noun
  1. Short-acting barbiturate that is available as both a free acid and a sodium salt.

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