The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word FUNCTION
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
F
U
N
C
T
I
O
N
More clues leading to the result FUNCTION
- Office party
- Do top of face with ointment
- Social occasion where female encounters affected charm
- Ointment taken after loud party
- 17 force court to stop marriage
- Pleasure — it has returned in Conservative Party?
- Purpose of oil used by female
- Use fine ointment
- Work party
- Social event‘s loud, followed by something soothing
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Social occasion" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case social occasion = function.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 FUNCTION mean?
FUNCTION noun- What something does or is used for.
- A professional or official position.
- An official or social occasion.
- Something which is dependent on or stems from another thing; a result or concomitant.
- A relation where one thing is dependent on another for its existence, value, or significance.
- A relation in which each element of the domain is associated with exactly one element of the codomain.
- A routine that receives zero or more arguments and may return a result.
- The physiological activity of an organ or body part.
- The characteristic behavior of a chemical compound.
- The role of a social practice in the continued existence of the group.
- To have a function.
- To carry out a function; to be in action.