The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word PORPOISE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
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More clues leading to the result PORPOISE
- Sea creature having little power or balance
- Marine mammal having power, initially, or composure
- Seeing whale, need phlegm to start with - or composure?
- Mammal in favour of rising in dignity
- By the sound of it, defective balance in a marine animal
- Sociable swimmer expressed sympathy for sick cat
- Creature which is expert rolling in elegance
- Marine creature with compact power or elegance
- Left on boat with temperature missing elegance shown by ocean dweller
- River to rise — that same river’s trapped creature
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Sea creature" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case sea creature = porpoise.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 PORPOISE mean?
PORPOISE noun- A small cetacean of the family Phocoenidae, related to dolphins and whales.
- (imprecisely) Any small dolphin.
- Said of an air-breathing aquatic animal such as a porpoise or penguin: To repeatedly jump out of the water to take a breath and dive back in a continuous motion.
- Said of an aircraft: to make a series of plunges when taking off or landing; or of a watercraft: to successively plunge up and down in the water.