Cryptic crossword clue
Sheik oddly neglected to call about the Spanish mercenary 8

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

I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "mercenary" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case mercenary = hireling.
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 HIRELING mean?

HIRELING noun
  1. (usually derogatory) An employee who is hired, often to perform unpleasant tasks with little independence.
  2. (usually derogatory) Someone who does a job purely for money, rather than out of interest in the work itself.
  3. A horse for hire.
  4. A prostitute.

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