The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word NOTATION
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
N
O
T
A
T
I
O
N
More clues leading to the result NOTATION
- Idea about army musicians method of writing
- People consuming books in symbolic representation
- Number it: a 100 written up as symbols
- Thought about volunteers once filling in score . . . .
- How to record e.g. dance movement? Thanks for putting in the idea
- Symbols used to represent people binding books
- Books covered with a Native American tribe’s system of signs
- Nothing square divides 11 in symbols
- People grasping Old Testament symbols
- Symbols in old books stored in country
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Symbols" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case symbols = notation.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 NOTATION mean?
NOTATION noun- The act, process, method, or an instance of representing by a system or set of marks, signs, figures, or characters.
- A system of characters, symbols, or abbreviated expressions used in an art or science or in mathematics or logic to express technical facts or quantities.
- A specific note or piece of information written in such a notation.