The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word PREFACE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
P
R
E
F
A
C
E
More clues leading to the result PREFACE
- Introduction of European mug following press release
- Official gets to stride around making introduction
- Umpire in step at the start
- Quiet sports official has wonderful introductory words
- Start march surrounding umpire
- Introduce walk, having grabbed man on field
- 19 Introduction before meet
- Again, head of finance cutting rate — an indication of things to come
- Clip including official introduction
- Speed to surround referee — one gets in the book first
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "one gets in the book first" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case one gets in the book first = preface.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 PREFACE mean?
PREFACE noun- The beginning or introductory portion that comes before the main text of a document or book.
- An introduction, or series of preliminary remarks.
- The prelude or introduction to the canon of the Mass.
- A title or epithet.
- To introduce or make a comment before (the main point).
- To give a preface to.