The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 3 plus 3 letter word TOP HAT
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
T
O
P
H
A
T
More clues leading to the result TOP HAT
- Picture which involves work
- Formal attire which sailor turning up wears
- Work required to line that item of formal wear
- Broken hot tap? Best cover item in film
- Tails partner to slippery path
- Tails partner that takes in work
- Old film that’s about work
- Work in which musical?
- Work that is about making a capital investment
- Supply a cropped 21, with tenor in musical
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Tails partner" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case tails partner = top hat.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.