The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word SKITTISH
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
S
K
I
T
T
I
S
H
More clues leading to the result SKITTISH
- Playful comedy sketch about West End is hard to follow
- Nervous runner times his running
- Saint Christopher? Sporting this, when nervous and easily scared
- Nervous? Saint Christopher has this sorted
- Nervous sibling consumes pot, mostly, and heroin
- Hard to lie back after takeoff, becoming nervous
- Playful cats lacking energy in silence
- Frivolous satirical sketch — this upset
- Playful routine takes little time, in a way
- Scientist’s first equipment shattered this, being unsteady
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "easily scared" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case easily scared = skittish.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 SKITTISH mean?
SKITTISH adjective- Easily scared or startled; timid.
- Wanton; changeable; fickle
- Difficult to manage; tricky.