The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word LEATHERY
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
L
E
A
T
H
E
R
Y
More clues leading to the result LEATHERY
- Tough article in early edition
- The early shifts tough
- Tough king retaining the monarchy in the end
- I’ll eat her yakitori skewers; very tough to chew
- Tough article stuck in meadow track
- Tough knots lay there
- Unfortunately breathalysed with dabs roughly taken? Tough
- Wary accepting battered hat of durable material
- of all, they are appallingly tough
- The early shifts? That’ll be tough
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Tough" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case tough = leathery.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 LEATHERY mean?
LEATHERY adjective- Having the consistency, feel, or texture of leather.