The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word SWITCHED
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
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More clues leading to the result SWITCHED
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Beat with cane/made a change" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case beat with cane/made a change = switched.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 SWITCHED mean?
SWITCHED verb- To exchange.
- To change (something) to the specified state using a switch.
- To whip or hit with a switch.
- To change places, tasks, etc.
- To get angry suddenly; to quickly or unreasonably become enraged.
- To swing or whisk.
- To be swung or whisked.
- To trim.
- To turn from one railway track to another; to transfer by a switch; generally with off, from, etc.
- To shift to another circuit.