The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word SERAGLIO
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
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More clues leading to the result SERAGLIO
- Group of wives from Home Counties tease celebrity endlessly
- Algiers at odds with old palace of Constantinople
- Rages about returning painting to palace
- Supervise “rag lion” housing for Muslim quarters
- Where women were confined by gaolers, I suspect
- Al Gore is amazing for wives and girlfriends
- How’s your father’s place in ruins of old Algiers?
- Is Elgar distracted by love in rooms for wags?
- Gaoler is molested in harem
- Ogler is a cavalier in place for Muslim women
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Where women were confined" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case where women were confined = seraglio.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 SERAGLIO mean?
SERAGLIO noun- The palace of the Grand Seignior in Constantinople.
- The sequestered living quarters used by wives and concubines (odalisques) in a Turkish Muslim household.
- A brothel or place of debauchery.
- An interior cage or enclosed courtyard for keeping wild beasts.