The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 letter word ACCOMPLICE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
A
C
C
O
M
P
L
I
C
E
More clues leading to the result ACCOMPLICE
- Place falsely associated with comic’s sidekick?
- Calm cop’s ruffled by cool partner in crime
- Sidekick managed church instead of shed
- Associate master involved without it at heart
- Calm cop discomposed by cool criminal partner
- Bill firm millions, and the Law loses love for partner in crime
- Second place comic played
- A polemic possibly involving County Council associate
- Assistant from place comic upset
- Comical PC wasted energy getting a second criminal
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "partner in crime" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case partner in crime = accomplice.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.
Crossword Answer definitions
ACCOMPLICE noun- An associate in the commission of a crime; a participator in an offense, whether a principal or an accessory.
- A cooperator.