The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word BOFFIN
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
B
O
F
F
I
N
More clues leading to the result BOFFIN
- Scientist out to discard bottles
- Scientist turned in after book
- Black box caught out research scientist
- Intellectual’s hearty laugh at home
- Dicky stuck in box, his advice likely to be ignored by Trump?
- Expert leaving to enter wine store
- Book cancelled by popular scientist
- Scientist raising one stink after another
- Ditch keeping away researcher
- Scientist gets away in a basket
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Scientist" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case scientist = boffin.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 BOFFIN mean?
BOFFIN noun- An engineer or scientist, especially one engaged in technological or military research.
- (by extension) A person with specialized knowledge or skills, especially one who is socially awkward; (in a weaker sense) an intellectual; a smart person.