The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word CHIEFTAIN
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
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More clues leading to the result CHIEFTAIN
- Head of clan hit in face, unexpectedly
- Unfortunately hit in face or head
- Leader that is printed by newspaper with all-round restraint
- Awfully nice hat I put over fellow’s head
- Leader Cook steals single with gratitude when batting
- Leader from English paper: wonderful, penetrating feature
- Feature about free trade zone with one leader
- Leader‘s symbol of office that is with something pink inside
- Governor’s urge to feed murderer
- Big cheese in cafe hit, surprisingly
Buddy explains!
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 CHIEFTAIN mean?
CHIEFTAIN noun- A leader of a clan or tribe.
- (by extension) A leader of a group.