Cryptic crossword clue
Actions late in being punished – with this? 3-1-4-5

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 17 letter word CAT-O’-NINE-TAILS

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
C
A
T
-
O
â
€
™
-
N
I
N
E
-
T
A
I
L
S

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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.

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