The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word MAINSTAY
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
M
A
I
N
S
T
A
Y
More clues leading to the result MAINSTAY
- Chief support where sea ultimately meets river
- Old lady wearing corset, finding special staple
- Above river supply rope for support?
- Source of electricity: current one that’s most depended on?
- Part of a yacht seen in seas as well as river
- Mike indeed guards against losing extremely accommodating principal support
- Support one current month breaking into the next
- One isn’t about to cut ex-PM’s chief support
- Pillar where water is drawn from river
- Chief support provided by mother during visit
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Support" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case support = mainstay.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 MAINSTAY mean?
MAINSTAY noun- A chief support.
- Someone or something that can be depended on to make a regular contribution.
- A stabilising rope from the top of the mainmast to the bottom of the foremast.