Cryptic crossword clue
Burglar on college building covers everything 5-3

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word CATCH-ALL

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
C
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "covers everything" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case covers everything = catch-all.
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 CATCH-ALL mean?

CATCH-ALL noun
  1. Any place or repository where things are placed indiscriminately or without careful thought.

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