The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word ABSEILED
I've seen this crossword clue in The Sunday Telegraph
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More clues leading to the result ABSEILED
- Dropped a stock complaint food shop rejected
- S, oddly stuck in a layer of rock, came down safely
- Cook retrospectively admitting problem with stock that’s dropped down face, perhaps?
- Rests back in a bed and let oneself down
- A graduate teacher full of inventive lies went down line
- Sailor did his thing, we hear — descended using rope
- Man on board and what he did reportedly – went down rope
- Beadle is struggling having been let down
- Seaman did what seamen do, we’re told: moved using ropes
- Crossing mountainside, lies back — returning, went down fast
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "descended using rope" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case descended using rope = abseiled.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 ABSEILED mean?
ABSEILED verb- To descend a steep or vertical drop using a rope with a mechanical friction device or (classic abseil) by wrapping the rope around the body; to rappel.