The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word SCRIMSHAW
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
S
C
R
I
M
S
H
A
W
More clues leading to the result SCRIMSHAW
- Playwright collecting villain’s carving
- Second villain taking small wood decoration
- Sailor’s handiwork and most of charisma developed in South-West
- Maritime craft, self-contained, limits fruit
- Sailor’s craft involved in crash — swim!
- Terrible crash! Swim for sailor’s craft
- Old whaler’s work: capturing felons in Wash, possibly
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Sailor’s handiwork" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case sailor’s handiwork = scrimshaw.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 SCRIMSHAW mean?
SCRIMSHAW noun- The manufacture of handicrafts by sailors on long voyages, especially as whittled from wood or bone.
- An item produced by scrimshaw.
- To make an item of scrimshaw.
- To engrave fanciful designs on (shells, whales' teeth, etc.).