The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 2 plus 6 letter word IN DEMAND
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
I
N
D
E
M
A
N
D
More clues leading to the result IN DEMAND
- Certainly, cutting energy used around island is sought after
- Some revolting fathead named Nigel is amazingly popular
- Popular rise of some airhead named Nigella
- Elected “nuts” damned – much needed
- Trendy theologian with rising reputation bound to be sought after
- Wanted fashionable challenge
- Popular batting order
- Popular lad, named Nick, somewhat withdrawn
- Wanted at home, daughter called on the way up
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "amazingly popular" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case amazingly popular = in demand.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.