The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word MAGUS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
M
A
G
U
S
More clues leading to the result MAGUS
- Time perhaps upsets heartless old priest
- Wizard comic no good
- Amount put up to house a grand priest
- Dodging Nakamura’s opening, Carlsen is a wise man
- Wise man or old woman with a musical cat
- Wizard periodical coming to you and me
- What might you be holding against Private Eye, wise guy?
- Astrologer‘s publication not fit for purpose
- Something published by American priest in the past
- Mother Goose at first seen by American priest
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "priest in the past/priest in the past" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case priest in the past/priest in the past = magus.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 MAGUS mean?
MAGUS noun- (common usage) magician, and derogatorily sorcerer, trickster, conjurer, charlatan
- (special usage) a Zoroastrian priest