The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 plus 4 letter word MUTE SWAN
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
M
U
T
E
S
W
A
N
More clues leading to the result MUTE SWAN
- Wasn't emu originally a flier?
- Perhaps pen letters in Athens describing ‘the empty pasty’
- Smew aunt confused with another bird
- Firm I’m thinking about washed out glider
- Man U stew about possible pen
- Bird wasn’t 16 — cuckoo!
- Perhaps pen letters in Athens describing 'the empty pasty'
- Musician’s accessories lacking colour, getting the bird
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "a flier?" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case a flier? = mute swan.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.