The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word TIMPANI
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
T
I
M
P
A
N
I
More clues leading to the result TIMPANI
- Drums, monkey stopping to beat one
- They're hit in a mine on the way up, Mike admitted
- Things beaten in defeat, I'm panicking!
- Endlessly fearful about slate percussion instrument
- Monkey stopping to beat one set of drums
- They get beaten up in a mine skirting motorway
- Paint I'm mixing for instruments
- A few in heat: I'm panicking they’ll be beaten
- This writer's probing unfit revolutionary instruments
- This setter is breaking unsuitable lifting instrument
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "drumsticks to go on these?" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case drumsticks to go on these? = timpani.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 TIMPANI mean?
TIMPANI noun- The set of precision kettledrums in an orchestra.