The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word SCARIEST
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
S
C
A
R
I
E
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T
More clues leading to the result SCARIEST
- Most worrying tooth decay, in a way
- Caught ram in middle of road – most frightening
- Most frightening actress I upset
- Most terrifying racists struggling to grasp English
- Most frightening street full of decay
- Sign of injury that is seen on street causing most dismay
- Starts to sing choral themes about ram – it’s most frightening!
- Twisting staircase adult’s going to find most creepy
- Crofter’s supreme ram, crossing road, hairy in the extreme
- Son worries about one nightmare essentially that’s most terrifying
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "causing most dismay" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case causing most dismay = scariest.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 SCARIEST mean?
SCARIEST adjective- Causing or able to cause fright.
- Uncannily striking or surprising.
- Subject to sudden alarm; easily frightened.