The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word VIRGINIA
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
V
I
R
G
I
N
I
A
More clues leading to the result VIRGINIA
- Sort of creeper that gets stuck in pipe
- Roman poet mostly upset at home over a girl
- Virtuous girl, then the reverse of very good, in a state
- State of pure sloth returned
- Girl in a state
- Backed by India’s banks, multinational corporation supplies tobacco
- After six, I ring devastated area in Eastern state
- Way to suppress spirit in Rhode Island state
- Very independent attitude backing consuming drink or tobacco
- Where Richmond is unspoilt, I assume initially
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "state" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case state = virginia.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.