Cryptic crossword clue
Salt, I say, desperate for a flapper at sea 8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word STAYSAIL

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
S
T
A
Y
S
A
I
L

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "a flapper at sea/a flapper at sea" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case a flapper at sea/a flapper at sea = staysail.
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 STAYSAIL mean?

STAYSAIL noun
  1. A fore-and-aft rigged sail whose luff can be affixed to a stay running forward from a mast to the deck, the bowsprit or to another mast.

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