The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word EARNINGS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
E
A
R
N
I
N
G
S
More clues leading to the result EARNINGS
- Proceeds north into each circle, then south
- Revenue wants head dismissed
- Income distributed in Angers
- Nostalgic feelings when head lost income
- Proceeds north within each circle, and back to Dundas
- Wishes to forgo initial salary
- Wants no yen for pay
- Pay grannies to dance
- Grannies making money
- The wages of sin — and anger
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "The wages" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case the wages = earnings.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 EARNINGS mean?
EARNINGS noun- Wages, money earned, income.
- Business profits.
- Gains on investments; returns.