The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word WHISTLES
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
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More clues leading to the result WHISTLES
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "they sometimes contain peas" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case they sometimes contain peas = whistles.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 WHISTLES mean?
WHISTLES noun- A device designed to be placed in the mouth and blown, or driven by steam or some other mechanism, to make a whistling sound.
- An act of whistling.
- A shrill, high-pitched sound made by whistling.
- Any high-pitched sound similar to the sound made by whistling.
- A suit (from whistle and flute).
- The mouth and throat; so called as being the organs of whistling.
- To make a shrill, high-pitched sound by forcing air through the mouth. To produce a whistling sound, restrictions to the flow of air are created using the teeth, tongue and lips.
- To make a similar sound by forcing air through a musical instrument or a pipe etc.
- To move in such a way as to create a whistling sound.
- To send, signal, or call by a whistle.