The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 letter word TROUBADOUR
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
T
R
O
U
B
A
D
O
U
R
More clues leading to the result TROUBADOUR
- Tabour smashed by churlish minstrel
- Uncertain about having rector next to sullen love poet
- Minstrel with instrument entertaining king, old and gloomy
- Our tour goes awry with the introduction of terrible singer
- Stardom regularly attracts university graduate, gloomy old singer
- Outing to take in endlessly dissolute chap and awful singer
- Tour made terrible by our singer
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "love poet" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case love poet = troubadour.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 TROUBADOUR mean?
TROUBADOUR noun- An itinerant composer and performer of songs in medieval Europe; a jongleur or travelling minstrel.