The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 plus 3 letter word START OUT
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
S
T
A
R
T
O
U
T
More clues leading to the result START OUT
- Go off one Hawking labelled best in the biz?
- Sailor aboard sturdy launch
- Go off the best solicitor in the business?
- Get going with champion ticket- seller
- Begin to set up in the open air
- Tutor sat prepared to begin
- Renowned solicitor to open proceedings
- Begin a journey in craft with sturdy exterior
- Lead dealer set off
- Begin putting salt in fat
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "launch" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case launch = start out.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.