The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word BAFFLING
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
B
A
F
F
L
I
N
G
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "puzzling" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case puzzling = baffling.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 BAFFLING mean?
BAFFLING verb- To publicly disgrace, especially of a recreant knight.
- To hoodwink or deceive (someone).
- To bewilder completely; to confuse or perplex.
- To foil; to thwart.
- To struggle in vain.
- An act of foiling or thwarting.
- Puzzling, perplexing, bewildering.
- Frustrating