Cryptic crossword clue
Tower warder loses face, for starters 3,5

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 3 plus 5 letter word BEE EATER

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
B
E
E
E
A
T
E
R

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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 BEE EATER mean?

BEE EATER noun
  1. Any of various brightly-coloured, insectivorous, near-passerine birds in the family Meropidae, especially the European bee-eater, Merops apiaster.

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