Houdini was a dreamer? (8)
I believe the answer is:
escapist
'dreamer?' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'houdini was a' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'was' could be 'is' (being is a kind of being) and 'is' is located in the answer.
'a' is present in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for escapist that I've seen before include "One who tries to avoid the harsh world" , "One fleeing reality" , "One indulging in fantasy" , "One who lives in dreamland, a fantasist" , "My interest is not of this world" .)