Cryptic crossword clue
Spooner's principal gardener is a key employee 9

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word RAINMAKER

I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
R
A
I
N
M
A
K
E
R

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "key employee" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case key employee = rainmaker.
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 RAINMAKER mean?

RAINMAKER noun
  1. Someone or something that causes or attempts to cause rain to fall.
  2. (originally Canada) A person having the ability to generate business, raise funds, or otherwise engineer success for a company, organization, etc.
  3. A batted ball that is hit very high into the air.

Latest crossword clues with full explanations