The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word PRESSURE
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
P
R
E
S
S
U
R
E
More clues leading to the result PRESSURE
- Stress certain to follow Trump, shortly?
- Quiet resolution with certain force
- Stress for journalists on river
- Force regularly used on a group
- Topless dress in sheer strain
- To prepare hot food, topless au pair sees recipe translated by chef
- President needing cutback certain to make strong demand
- Journalists almost certain to be under this?
- Gentle comfort, unloading a weight
- Media to exercise influence
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "strain" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case strain = pressure.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 PRESSURE mean?
PRESSURE noun- A pressing; a force applied to a surface.
- A contrasting force or impulse of any kind
- Distress.
- Urgency
- Impression; stamp; character impressed.
- The amount of force that is applied over a given area divided by the size of this area.
- To encourage or heavily exert force or influence.