The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word EUROPEAN
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
E
U
R
O
P
E
A
N
More clues leading to the result EUROPEAN
- Continental fellow in Scotland perhaps, carrying twisted fibre
- When speaking, you're candid about a Pole, for example
- Scotsman accommodating Moor or Maltese?
- Outer pane smashed, cutting tail of Great Dane?
- Refined painter, say, in middle of beano is French?
- Like the origin of all solutions here, maybe a pure one
- Back continental way: tolerant, embracing a unionist
- Currency holder accepts one definitively loss-making Maxwell publication
- French perhaps sing solver’s one anthem
- Anti-UKIP – clear about a way for Brussels to get back on top
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Maltese?" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case maltese? = european.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.